


After the credits part 2

by Pengirl91



Series: After the credits [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode Related, Episode Tag, Episode: s03 Boulangerix | Bakerix, Episode: s03 Desperada, Episode: s03 Miraculeur | Miraculer, Episode: s03 Rebrousse–temps | Backwarder, Episode: s03 Startrain, Episode: s03 Trouble Fête | Party Crasher, F/M, Post-Episode: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Post-Episode: s03 La Marionnettiste 2 | The Puppeteer 2, Post-Episode: s03 Oblivio, Post-Episode: s03 Oni-Chan, Post-Episode: s03 Papa-Garou | Weredad, Post-Episode: s03 Silence | Silencer, animeastro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2020-10-25 07:44:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 46,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20720630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pengirl91/pseuds/Pengirl91
Summary: Episodes are too short if you ask me! Here's what happens after each episode of season 3 that we don't get to see on screen. Each episode works as a stand alone but there is occasional reference to something in a previous episode tag. See my 'After the credits part 1' for seasons 1 and 2 if you're interested.





	1. Chameleon

Marinette walked confidently down the street. Boy, had that felt good. Telling Lila what was what. Since Adrien knew Lila was a liar, at least she had one person on her side. Lila might try and come after her friends but if she took the high ground as Adrien suggested then she could show them proof when the time came. Besides. Adrien was right. An angrier, more upset Lila wasn’t something she wanted to deal with right now. It was nice not to obsess overexposing her actually. She hated her friends being mad at her. Lila had made up some more stories during class and she hadn't said anything. Eventually, her lies would catch up with her. And as long as she wasn’t hurting anyone, she wasn't going to waste her time and help Lila turn her friends against her. 

She took a deep breath, feeling calm again. She looked around making sure there wasn't another akuma. That had been scary. She couldn't let Lila ever get to her like that again. She couldn't afford to have Hawk Moth discover who she was. And so she had to do everything she could not to let Lila get under her skin. And that meant interacting with her the least possible. 

That shouldn’t be too hard with her all the way at the back of the class now. Marinette smiled as she remembered Adrien had opted to sit next to her and had caused the chain of seat changes that lead to things being back to normal. Well almost. She was in front of Adrien now instead of behind him. It was probably for the best, she often got distracted staring at him, maybe her grades would improve a bit. Not that they were bad but what with all the akuma attacks recently she could use the extra help to focus. Speaking of which, she had that test to study for. Marinette jogged home and quickly greeted her parents before rushing to her room. 

“I’m proud of you Marinette!” Tikki was quick to tell her once they were alone. 

“Thanks, Tikki. It helps to know Adrien isn’t going to fall for all her lies.”

“Are you ok after today?”

“What do you mean?”

“You had to fight a super-villain who looked like Adrien.”

“Please, Cameleon was nothing like Adrien. She may have looked like him but Adrien would never act so mean and reckless.” Although she was sure her subconscious would piece together and interesting dream. “Not to mention the real Adrien isn’t trying to kiss me.” She mumbled somewhat begrudgingly. Just a few weeks ago she had shown Adrien her feelings by kissing him on the cheek and he hadn’t acted any differently towards her. Maybe it was a gentle rejection. At least he was still her friend. 

To Marinette’s surprise, Tikki giggled. 

“What?”

“What?” She parroted, looking like a deer facing headlights. 

“You laughed when I mentioned Adrien didn’t want to kiss me.”

“Oh, it’s not that. I was just remembering Cat Noir, well Cameleon Cat Noir, trying to kiss you.”

Marinette smiled. “Yes, that wasn’t a first.” She giggled. It wasn’t the first time she had to fight off a lookalike of her partner either. 

“You did well on your own.” 

“Not completely on my own. I would have been toast if Cat Noir hadn’t dived in front of me.” She would have to thank him for that again. He had this horrible habit of sacrificing himself for her. She should probably remind him that his miraculous was just as important as hers. Sure she had managed to stop Cameleon from grabbing his ring and distracting her away from him but that had been too close. She could understand his hesitating to push a child, she had frozen up herself, but Cameleon only looked like one. Perhaps they had both messed up there. Everything had worked out in the end. She smiled at how Cat Noir had left Lila on top of the Eiffel tower. She was about to transform back and so had to leave but he had never had to use his cataclysm. Regardless, he had followed her and apologized for not having been of more help, leaving Lila to head downstairs herself. Marinette liked to imagine Lila going down each and every one of those stairs, pretending that Lila didn’t have the money to pay for an elevator ticket. Whether that was true or not, it was a nice daydream. 

*****  
"Cat Noir, look out!" 

"Ouf. Don't worry about me. Get Hawk Moth! I'll be right behind you." Adrien said into the microphone. He could practically see how the scene would play out. 

Isabel made a determined face as she read through her lines for the fight with Hawk Moth. Adrien held back a wince at one of the lines. It just didn't feel like something Ladybug would say. But he had held his tongue from day one about changes he wanted to make to the script. He had managed to slip a few things in for his own character that the director seemed to like but he wasn't about to show his deep knowledge of all things Ladybug.  
If everything went well, today would be the last day for voicing the movie. It was mostly done. Voiceless trailers had already started playing along with an open invitation to the real Cat Noir and Ladybug to come to the premier. Ladybug had declined to his partial disappointment and obviously so had he since he needed to go as Adrien. Oh, but to watch Ladybug react to the movie would have been something. She really would hate the ending though…

Isabel let out a huff of pain. 

"Your miraculous is mine!" Jacque, voicing Hawk Moth said into his own mic. 

"Don't you dare touch her!" Adrien jumped back into the scene. He could imagine, jumping in front of his tangled Lady to face their enemy. He made grunting noises to go with the fight that would push Hawk Moth away from Ladybug. 

"Alright, let's take a break there." Thomas Astruc said. "Great job guys!" 

Adrien took a sip of water and walked into the setup room where he grabbed a muffin to eat. He snuck Plagg some cheese as was their ritual. 

"Glad to see you're ok after today Adrien." Jacque said, joining him for a snack. "It freaked me right out to see you, well a villain that looked like you, wobbling along the Eiffel tower on TV today."

It had weirded him out too. Hearing from Nino what Chameleon had told him disguised as Adrien had been bad enough. Seeing the footage of that image and ladybug fighting had been unnerving and then there was the footage of her fighting the Cat Noir image as well. She had managed on her own but how he wished he hadn't been kissed a second time by Cameleon. Ladybug should have had to worry about being cataclysmed. He still didn't know what that would do to her. Volpina had seemed to think it would disintegrate the person given her mirage on Heroes Day. Gosh, he hoped not. 

Now that he thought about it, there was more proof of Lila's lies. She was supposedly in Achu that day and everyone knew Volpina was actually Lila. Maybe that's how Marinette had known she was a liar. Only she was suspicious even before that incident, he recalled. She had questioned everything Lila had said during the video call. 

Whatever the reason, Marinette knew and had been getting pretty angry over it. Adrien wasn't too sure why it affected her to such an extent. They were just a few small lies. Lila wasn't actually hurting anyone. He still hoped she would see reason and give up the lies. But she didn't seem all that receptive to his suggestion earlier in the day or had meant what she had said to Ladybug. 

"You ok Adrien? You seem distracted." Isabel asked. 

Adrien put a smile on his face. "I'm fine. Just school stuff." 

Isabel nodded in understanding. 

"I know something that might cheer you up!" She leaned in to whisper. "I overheard the director mentioning he was having the writers work on a sequel."

"Already?" Adrien asked.

Isabel nodded, eyes shining with excitement. She was practically bouncing on her feet.

Adrien was still nervous about how this movie would go. He didn't know if he wanted to do a second one. Then again, he was jumping the gun and assuming they would want him back. 

"I just love being Ladybug! She's so strong and focused.”

Now, this was a topic he could get behind. 

"And you're really coming along as Cat Noir! Remember how nervous you were that first day? You've really got his confidence down now!"

Adrien laughed awkwardly. That first day had been nerve-wracking. But no one had realized he was Cat Noir just as Plagg had predicted and so he had let go of that fear. Until now. A few people he didn't know were one thing. What about when all of Paris would see it? Would anyone put it together? The worry fuelled his nightmares. Ones where he was discovered and he had to give up his miraculous to a disappointed Ladybug. 

But then there had been that one very good dream. Adrien blushed at the simple thought of it. In that dream, Ladybug was the only one to figure out his identity and came to visit him one evening. She knocked at his window and he had opened it to her. 

She had gracefully hopped in and had cupped his face. "I know who you are Adrien."

Luckily his fast heart rate hadn't woken him up. 

"Yo-you do?" He had asked full of nerves. 

"Of course Kitty. I would recognize you anywhere." She had leaned in and kissed him, her lips soft and warm causing an explosion of sensation.

That had been too much and he had woken up. 

"I know! It's so exciting!" Isabel burst. 

Adrien realized he was grinning widely. He composed himself and blushed. 

"Alright let's get back to it. Last scene!" Mr Astruc instructed. 

Adrien popped a final grape into his mouth before getting back to work with a grin. With his thoughts for dream-Ladybug so fresh in his mind, this scene was going to be a cinch.


	2. Animeastro

Plagg snickered at the onscreen Cat Noir. Adrien had spent the last few weeks doing the voiceover so he knew the storyline but he hadn’t seen the footage that came with it. The animated Cat Noir was even goofier looking than the real one. He was hiding behind said goofy master, trying to figure out where Tikky might be hiding. Marinette was thankfully transfixed by the movie. Didn’t she get enough of this stuff in her actual life? Although the movie probably wasn’t the reason she was here. Her distraction worked in his favor, he needed to figure out where Tikki was hiding fast before Marinette would glance over at Adrien again. She didn’t have her purse and the pockets seemed too small to hide a kwami but the hat and hair bun would work. He took a quick peek around to make sure no one would notice and made for the hat. “Tikki?” He whispered loudly.

“Shhh.” A red hand covered his mouth. He smiled against it. “Plagg, what are you doing here?” she said in a hushed voice.

“Coming to see you of course. The movie is boring without our key characters.” He kept his voice as low as hers.

Tikki rolled her eyes. “Your master did a good job in this movie.”

“Pfff like it’s hard being yourself. If you ask me, he enjoyed it far too much.”

"Don't you think it was a little too risky?"

Plagg huffed. Tikki was always way too worried about these things. "Our magic is way too strong for something like this to break it."

"I hope you’re right."

“Besides, if Marinette finally put two and two together it would finally put an end to my misery.”

“Trust me, they are definitely still not ready.” Tikki looked sad. Marinette had gone a little overboard today but that would chill once she realized her crush was Cat Noir. 

Plagg didn’t bother arguing though. No one would guess Adrien was Cat Noir and he would have to endure Adrien’s groans about his love life until hopefully one day he would be put out of his misery. 

*****

Marinette was… confused about how she felt about this movie. Objectively, it was well written, exciting, did her character and Cat Noir’s justice enough that she could look past the romance they had clearly taken some creative liberty with. No, what was confusing her was her feelings towards said romance. She should be rolling her eyes at the onscreen Cat Noir flirting with his Ladybug but with it being Adrien’s voice saying the words… it had a transfixing effect on her instead. Only he didn’t fully sound like himself… Adrien had done his homework and had managed to sound quite a bit like Cat Noir and hence the confusion. She found herself rooting for her onscreen double and Cat Noir, which felt off.  
Ugh. How had she NOT known Adrien was the voice actor for the movie? She knew everything about Adrien! His schedule, his favorite flavors, his favorite subjects... how had she not known he’d been working on this for WEEKS.  
Perhaps it was for the best. Had she known she would have accepted the invitation to come as Ladybug and probably wouldn’t be sitting next to him now. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He seemed transfixed with the movie despite knowing the storyline.

“Nooooo!” The anime Ladybug yelled, capturing her attention. The heroine was rushing through her yoyo led swings to get to a falling Cat Noir, catching him in the nick of time before he crashed into the ground. She laid down the unconscious Cat Noir gently, caressing his face. “Come on Cat Noir, wake up.” Ladybug’s panicked voice urged. “Cat Noir, we finally did it, we finally defeated Hawk Moth. You can’t leave me now.” She was getting tearful. “I still need you.” She hugged him close, sobbing.

Marinette stared at the screen, mouth slightly ajar. They wouldn’t dare kill off her Kitty…

The onscreen Ladybug held her Cat Noir tighter. “I still need to tell you that I-“ A cough cut her off and Ladybug pulled away to face her partner who was now opening his eyes. “Cat Noir!” Ladybug smiled brightly, pulling him in for another hug.

Marinette hadn’t realized she had been leaning forward in her seat. She straightened herself and eyed Adrien again. Was he blushing?

“Did it work? Did we win?” The animated Cat Noir asked groggily, weakly hugging Ladybug in return.

“Yes, you silly cat. All thanks to you.“ Ladybug pulled back again to caress his cheek and smile at him. Cat Noir’s ring beeped before the last pad disappeared.

“I’m about to transform back!” Cat Noir tried to get up too fast, his clearly broken ribs forcing him back down as he winced in pain.

“It’s ok. We won, we don’t need to keep our identities secret from each other anymore.” Ladybug reassured him. “And there’s another secret I need to tell you.” She leaned in.

Cat Noir starred back in shock. “I love you.” She closed the gap and kissed him. A few people erupted into a cheer in the theater. Cat Noir quickly recovered from his shock and was kissing Ladybug back in earnest as a flash of green wisped around him and he transformed into his civilian self, Adam. Ladybug was the one to break the kiss and untransformed as well, turning into the civilian Marie.

“I knew you’d fall for me.” Adam smiled at Ladybug, cupping her maskless face. “I just didn’t know I’d have to literally fall for you for it to happen.”

Marie swatted his hand away. “Silly kitty.” She rolled her eyes before kissing him again.

Marinette smiled at their interaction before shaking herself. Then again, the characters were now 100% fictional as their civilian selves so she could root for them without feeling too odd about it. Marie as a name was, however, a little too close to her own for her liking. She wondered what Cat Noir would think of his onscreen civilian identity. Maybe she could ask him in a week when he would have had a chance to see the movie. Then again did she really want to bring it up? He would no doubt tease her about the ending and try to kiss her himself. Marinette’s heart started beating faster at the thought. No. She only enjoyed that thought because, in the movie, Cat Noir had been voiced by Adrien. Adrien who was most definitely not the real Cat Noir.

“So what did you think?” Adrien asked her, staring at her with slight concern.

“It was good, you were good, I mean, you did a great job playing Cat Noir.” She quickly composed her face into a smile. “Not far from the real Cat Noir.”

“Thanks, I did my best to portray him properly.”

“Come on Adrien, let’s get some food at the after-party.” Kagami hooked her arm into his again.

Oh no! The after-party! She was supposed to help set up for that instead of seeing the movie. Her parents were going to be so mad.

“I guess we’ll see you out there. Cute outfit by the way.” Adrien waved as Kagami pulled him away.

Marinette smiled at his compliment. He thought her outfit was cute! Only she would have to think about that later, for now, she had a cake to serve.

****

“So what about you Kagami, what did you think of the movie?” Adrien asked her as they exited the theater.

“It was ok. A little cheesy but the fight scenes were cool.”

“There you are!” Chloe joined them. “Isn’t it outrageous? There wasn’t even a mention of Queen Bee at all! Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous!”

“Maybe that’s because Queen Bee isn’t a real hero.” Kagami replied. Adrien stared at her in shock. Did she not know that Chloe was Queen Bee?

Chloe scoffed. “How dare you!”

Adrien grabbed her by the arm and led her away. “Come on Chloe, let’s get some cake. I’ll catch up with you later Kagami.”

“Well at least that explains why they didn’t ask me to voice myself.” Chloe flipped her hair. “Where’s that director? I have some questions for him.”

“Please don’t aggravate Thomas Astruc Chloe. He’s had a bad day and you’ll notice that there wasn’t a Rena Rouge or a Carapace either. He started working on this project back when the first akuma attacks were taking place, way before you came along. By the time you had, it was too late to change the plot.”

“Well… they should have made the time.” Chloe uncrossed her arms, an indication that he had managed to calm her down. “Or maybe now that this movie is done he can start working on one of just me. I should give him the idea, just in case.” She walked off, looking around for the director. Well at least she wouldn’t be yelling at him. Where was Thomas anyway? He had worked closely with the man over the past weeks and hoped he was feeling better. This was his big day and instead of getting the praise his movie deserved he had gotten upset enough to get akumatized. Adrien did a quick scan of the room hoping to find him before Chloe did to tell him how great a job he did. The director ended up in the last place he would have guessed, by the snack table talking with Marinette who was laying out some sandwiches. She looked so professional and grown-up helping her parents like that. Amazing as always. Thomas was smiling at whatever she was saying. He walked over, glad to see he was doing better.

“Thank you again for letting me have your seat. It was a great movie! I can see why you’re so proud of it. I’m sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will love it too.” Marinette was gushing.

“I hope so. I made it to show my gratitude to them and so that they can feel that we believe in them and that we know they’ll defeat Hawk Moth.”

Marinette was smiling brightly. “I’m sure it means a lot to them.”  
Adrien smiled, she had no idea how right she was. He couldn’t speak for Ladybug but Thomas’ comments warmed his heart. The movie had been a bit of an ego boost for his Cat Noir alter ego. Thomas had felt it important to put Cat Noir more at the forefront because he had felt that the public didn’t appreciate him as much as he deserved. He wasn’t too sure how accurate that was. His Lady was quite the outshining hero, he wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking she was more amazing than him. He happened to agree. But it had been nice to feel appreciated.

“Marinette’s right. I almost didn’t recognize the final product. It’s even better than I imagined it would be. You did a great job.” Adrien effortlessly joined the conversation.

“Well, you definitely helped my boy!” Thomas wrapped an arm around him and tousled his hair. “If I didn't know any better I’d say you were the real Cat Noir! Spot on acting.” He winked and Adrien laughed at the pun, hoping his nervousness at the Cat Noir comment didn’t show. 

Thomas laughed again. “Can you imagine that Adrien? If you were the real Cat Noir, playing Cat Noir!”

Adrien laughed nervously. “Yeah, that would be pretty ironic. Maybe Isabel is the real Ladybug.”

Thomas laughed even harder, whipping a tear away as he walked away. “Good one Adrien.”

“What’s so funny? Who’s Isabel?” Marinette asked, looking confused.

“Isabel is the voice actress for Marie/Ladybug. She’s a very tall, dark-skinned, green-eyed woman well in her thirties.”

“So clearly NOT Ladybug.” Marinette smiled. 

Adrien chuckled. “Although she got the voice not too far off. She’s a very talented mimicker.”

“Wait… so when you were voicing all those romantic scenes... you were saying them to a full-grown adult!” Marinette panicked.

“Actually, we were in separate rooms watching the animation scenes on a screen so not really. But I just imagined the real Ladybug.” Adrien shut his mouth quickly; he could feel himself going red. “I mean, I imagined what Cat Noir would say to the real Ladybug.” He quickly corrected.

“There you are!” Isabel walked over. “They want a cast picture in front of the cake.”

“Isabel, this is Marinette, Marinette meet the voice of Ladybug.”

“Hello.” Isabel extended her hand out. “You’re the baker’s daughter, right? Can you tell him his macaroons have ruined all other food for me?”

Marinette giggled. “Sure.” Shaking her hand. “You did a great job voicing Ladybug by the way.”

Isabel stared at Marinette mouth wide as if she had never gotten a compliment before. Adrien blinked, starting to feel awkward.

“I’ll talk to you later Marinette. Let’s go get that picture.” He pulled gently on her arm. 

“Right the picture.” Isabel smiled. “It was nice meeting you Marinette.”

Adrien followed her towards the cake but she kept looking back at Marinette.

“Is everything ok Isabel?”

“Yeah. I just- Nothing. Let’s hurry.” She picked up the pace. They joined the rest of the team and he let the photographer place them. Once the pictures where done. Marinette's dad came over to cut the cake. 

"Impressive work as always Mr. Dupain." Adrien complimented.

"I should be the one telling you that! I didn't get to see it yet but my daughter tells me you did an amazing job."

Adrien blushed. 

"You know, she only volunteered to help when she found out you'd be here." He said handing Adrien a piece of cake.

Adrien smiled. That was just like her. Always so supportive of her friends. He took a bite. "Hmm. Tastes amazing!" 

"Thanks. You should come by the bakery at some point and I can show you my secret. Any interest in becoming a baker by chance?"

Adrien hadn't ever considered it but he could see the appeal. "I prefer to be the taste tester."

Mr. Dupain laughed. "We'll your welcome anytime to do that too."

Adrien warmed at his willingness to welcome him to his house. Marinette was so lucky. Speaking of Marinette, she was headed towards them with a new stack of plates. 

"Need help?" Adrien offered. 

"No. This is your night. You shouldn't be working." The tower of plates moved dangerously. Her father was quick to take them from her. 

"Easy there sweetheart."

Marinette blushed. "Do you need help cutting the cake?" 

"I've got it. Enjoy some free time with your friends." Mr. Dupain winked. 

“Adrikins! You are NOT going to believe this. That director says he isn’t planning a Queen Bee movie.”

Adrien let out a sigh. He’d take another akuma attack over this.


	3. Bakerix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I was less inspired by this episode.

Marinette hummed happily on her balcony as she knit a kwami-sized blanket with some of the leftover yarn she had from the gift she had made for her dad. It was later in the evening and her parents were still talking with her grandpa. Things had been awkward at first but after an apology from Rolland and an admittance that rice flour in bread wasn’t so bad after all, the gap started to close. The bread she had helped him make containing said rice hadn’t hurt either. She smiled again at how pleased her father had been, giving her an extra-large thank you hug and a second slice of cake which she had shared with Tikki in subtle bite-sized pieces under the table. 

“What are you making now Marinette?” Tikki inquired. 

“It’s a surprise.” She winked at her, surprised when she quickly zipped out of view. 

A soft thud next to her had her springing to her feet, body tense.

“Hey.” Cat Noir smiled at her. 

“Cat Noir? What are you doing here?” Had she stood him up again as Ladybug without realizing it?

“I just saw you as I passed by and figured I’d check in on your grandfather. How is he?”

Marinette’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. He’s downstairs getting reacquainted with my dad.”

“Reacquainted?” Cat Noir looked surprised. 

Ugh. Why did she share that? “Yeah, they hadn’t seen each other in a little while. He doesn’t like to leave his house but today is my dad’s 40th birthday so I went over to convince him to visit. I guess I should thank you for that. Your bread tasting convinced him to give it a try.”

Cat Noir smiled. “Cool. I’m glad I could be of service. I still think it would be even better with jam though.”

“That's better than tomatoes in a bottle I suppose.”

Cat Noir laughed. “I see you’ve heard about my lady’s new idea for a sandwich.”

“Uh Yeah.” She paused awkwardly not sure what else to say. “Is it just you tonight?” 

“Yup, it’s been a pretty quiet patrol.” He looked out over the city. “I’m glad everything’s ok. Your grandpa was really concerned for you earlier.”

Marinette blushed. “He was just worried about the bread he had left in the oven.”

“Oh really? Then why did he yell out your name when we got to the house?” He said smugly.

Marinette’s mouth made a small ‘o’. He had called out her name?

Cat Noir smiled. “You have a nice family, although I’m noticing a trend about your family’s birthdays and akumatizations. Maybe you should tell me when your mom’s birthday is.”

Marinette laughed. “I’ll have you know it’s come and gone without incident.” 

“Well, that’s a relief.” He smiled at her again. “Anyway, I should continue my patrol.” He didn’t move. 

“Did you want anything else?” She asked awkwardly. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have more of that bread, do you? I had to hurry earlier but it was really good.”

Marinette smiled softly at him. “Wait here.” She went downstairs all the way to the kitchen to grab some unsold bread that would otherwise get thrown out. 

“I should be going home now. It’s past my usual bedtime.” She overheard her grandpa from the living room. 

“Will you be visiting us again soon?” Her mom asked. 

“I’d like that. I think it’s time I got to know my daughter-in-law and granddaughter. That’s a very special girl you have Tom.”

“We definitely think so.” Her dad replied, making Marinette blush. 

“You’ve taught her well how to make bread. She will carry on the family name well.”

“We’ll have to wait and see. She has an eye for fashion.” 

“Fashion? That has nothing to do with bread. You take on the family business. That’s how it’s done.”

“Dad…”

“Right.” Her grandpa cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll see you soon.” Marinette heard footsteps approaching and so she snuck upstairs before they would catch her eavesdropping. 

“Here you go.” She handed the bread to Cat Noir once back on the balcony. 

“Thanks.” He took a whiff and a bite. “Hmmm.”

Marinette giggled. 

“You’re a really good backer. Have a good night Marinette.” He catapulted away. 

“Goodnight.” Marinette chuckled as she watched him get further and further away.

“That was thoughtful.” Tikki smiled, coming out of her hiding place.

“That or he was just craving a midnight snack.” 

Tikki giggled. “Speaking of a midnight snack… Is there any cake left?”

Marinette smiled at her kwami. “You know there is. Come on.” She went downstairs again but this time, her grandpa had left and her parents were doing the dishes. 

“I can’t believe Marinette managed to convince him to come over.” Her dad said, drying a plate. 

“She’s a determined one when she has her heart set on something.”

“I wonder where she got that from.” Her dad nudged her mom, making her laugh. 

“Hey, did grandpa leave already?” Marinette asked, entering the kitchen and heading to the fridge to grab some cake for Tikki. 

“Another piece?” Her mom eyed her. 

“Just a sliver.” Marinette smiled innocently. 

“But you’ve had two pieces already.” 

“It’s alright. My daughter deserves the best! Thank you for what you did today.”

“I’m glad it worked out.”

Her dad kissed her on the forehead and hummed as he left for his room. 

“No more food after this. It’s getting late.”

“I promise mama.” She kissed her mom goodnight and went back to her bedroom. “Here you go Tikki.” She set it down and picked up her knitting again. She was finished the blanket by the time Tikki was done her snack. 

“Let’s see…” She threw it over Tikki. It covered all put her feet. “Perfect.”

Tikki giggled pulling it off. “For me?” Her eyes shined. “What’s the occasion?”

“No reason. I’m just really happy you’re part of my life Tikki.”

Tikki giggled again, giving Marinette a hug on the cheek. “I’m happy too.”


	4. Backwarder

Could the ground swallow her up now? Or maybe there could be an akuma attack? She would much rather deal with that than her current embarrassment.   
Alya offered Marinette a hand up and the medication as the laughing died down. She knew her face was beet-red and therefore avoided looking anyone in the eye. 

"Why would Adrien get you constipation capsules?" Alya asked curiously. 

"I may have given him a prescription instead of my letter…" Marinette admitted. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the akuma attack, she probably would have gone after Adrien to set things right. But she had gone to Marianne first. Messing up her own life was one thing, she embarrassed herself in front of Adrien all the time. But Master Fu's life? No. Despite having gone to see Marianne the second she realized her mistake, she had already caused some damage unfortunately. Now, because of her mistake, they couldn't be together. Guilt flooded her anew at the thought. Poor Master Fu. The only thing left to do was to try her best to stop Hawk Moth. Once she had done that, Master Fu could be with the woman he loved. It warmed her heart that Master Fu trusted her and Cat Noir so much to accomplish the task. 

Alya was still laughing at her other screw up. "Awww girl. This is worse than not signing your previous letters."

"Don't remind me." Marinette moaned. 

"Although if you think about it, he did get your prescription for you."

"It's not for me!" Marinette was quick to correct. "It's for- my grandpa." 

"Well whoever they're for, he got them for you and spent a lot of time searching for them. And there's no indication that he's dating Kagami yet!" 

It was still a disaster. Kagami was the cute, amazing girl he maybe still liked and she was the weird constipated friend. Great. Discouraged, she followed her classmates into the school. 

"The wedding was kind of long but I enjoyed the rest of the weekend.” She heard Adrien from inside the classroom. “ I would have liked to have done more sightseeing though. It was my first time in London."

"Another time maybe." Nino replied. 

"I don’t know, my dad was pretty eager to go back home. I don't think he enjoys traveling much. He got sick on the way up."

"Don't we have that school trip this year to see Big Ben?" Alya asked and Marinette looked away, not willing to meet Adrien's eyes. She sat down and rested her head on her desk. If she could just be anywhere else right now that'd be great. She looked towards the window. Still no akuma attack yet? It had been two days without an incident. In a way, they were due for another one any moment now. 

"Are you feeling alright Marinette?" Adrien asked her. 

She shot up. "Uh yeah, I'm fine. I just need to go to the bathroom." Class wasn't going to start for another five minutes after all. Adrien gave her a smile and she went red at the implication of her words. Yup. No way was she going to write another love letter any time soon. 

*****  
Adrien smiled at Marinette's retreating form. He was glad she felt comfortable enough around him to ask for his help with something so personal. He had no idea why he was the only one who could get her the medication but was sure Marinette had her reasons. Kagami had given him a weird look when he said he needed to find a pharmacy and then an even weirder look when he had tried pharmacy after pharmacy. To his surprise, it had been harder to find than he had thought it would be. Maybe that's why Marinette had needed his help. She hadn't found the medication anywhere in Paris and since he was going to London, she had asked him to look for it. Funnily enough, it was when he arrived back in Paris that he had finally found it. 

"You and Marinette must be really close for you to do this for her." Kagami had commented. 

"Yeah, I guess so." He had smiled, still happy she had trusted him. "Marinette's a really good friend. I'm just glad I can help her with something."

"A friend?" Kagami had asked surprised. 

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing." She had smiled at him, taking his arm as they went over to join their parents.

As much as he had wanted to do more sightseeing as he had told Nino, he was glad his dad had cut their visit short. Since there had been an akuma attack just before they had left, he had felt a little better about leaving Paris. But after a day, he had started to get nervous. Sure he had set up his phone to alert him to any mention of an akuma on the news, but it would still take him quite a while to get back to Paris if there had been an attack while he was in London. Lucky for him, he hadn't missed anything and Ladybug would be none the wiser. He wondered if she sometimes left for a short vacation. He doubted it, she was too responsible for that. Ladybug had shown that she could manage without him to an extent but he would be toast if she wasn't around to capture and purify the akuma. Maybe he could plan her a staycation of sorts. That would mean getting her to agree to spending time with him off duty. Something he had yet to accomplish. 

His phone beeped. "A very spiky-looking supervillain has been spotted near the Eiffel tower." 

Adrien suppressed a smile. He should not be excited for this but after a whole weekend without seeing his lady he had to admit he missed her. Their last interaction had been on his mind a lot. He had had a full five minutes before transforming back but had needed to rush back to the train. His lady had asked why he had to leave so soon and had looked somewhat disappointed. Maybe he was making progress after all. 

“I just realized I forgot something in my locker, be right back.” He ran out of the classroom and found a place to transform. He arrived at the Eiffel tower before Ladybug. It was indeed a spiky situation. There were large round spiky balls scattered all over the place. 

“What on earth is going on here?” Ladybug landed next to him. 

“An angel decided to grace me with her presence.” He said smoothly. 

“Looks more like a minefield to me.” She ignored him. Ok, maybe he hadn’t made that much progress after all. 

She threw a pebble at one of the mines and watched it explode into a cloud of yellow-brownish dust. They could smell the sulfur-like aroma from their position. 

“I say we don’t do that again.” He plugged his nose.

“Agreed Kitty. Where’s the actual supervillain?” He loved it when she called him that. She had to have some feelings for him to use such an endearing nickname.

“Enjoying my new plant Ladybug?” A tall figure with a spiked outfit walked between the mines towards the one they had blown up. 

“Plant?” Her eyes darted around. There were few things he enjoyed more than watching her come up with a brilliant plan. He still had no idea how they had defeated Backwarder. The last thing he recalled before cataclysming the villain's broach was Ladybug telling him she needed to focus and how to say cataclysm backwards. He had no idea what else had been involved but she had somehow managed to include his actions on rewind obviously. She never ceased to amaze him. 

"The akuma must be in his seed pouch around his belt." She pointed out as the villain sprinkled seeds where the exploded one lay. 

"Good eye m'lady." 

"Take the right." She sprung left and he went around the right to attack the supervillain. He arrived first and used his staff to trip him. The villain fell flat but was back on his feet with an irritated look before Cat Noir could get the pouch. The villain’s arm grew a particularly large spike, not unlike a sword. Cat Noir smiled as he used his stick to fence with him. 

"It's that all you've got?" He moved between the plants, managing to hit the villain in the side. The villain growled and grew a second spike on his other hand. Two could play at that. Cat Noir split his stick in two. Ladybug finally joined him and tried to lasso the villain but he simply shifted his spike and weaved out of the way. Clearly annoyed, he charged Ladybug who used her yoyo as a shield. Cat Noir took the opportunity to attack. But he was a split second late and the villain using his two spikes had managed to get around Ladybug’s shield and shove her backwards. She rolled on the ground coughing as she breathed in the smoke of the plants she exploded along her path. No one messed with his lady. 

"Not cool!" He charged the cackling villain.

"One pest down, one more to go." The villain taunted. 

A pest down? He eyed Ladybug in his peripheral. She seemed to be having a hard time getting up. What was going on?

"She'll be paralyzed in a few minutes and soon you will be too." He laughed. "You'll watch helplessly as I effortlessly grab your miraculous!”

"I'd like to see you try!" He doubled his attack efforts. Behind him, he heard his Lady's slightly slurred words to get her lucky charm. They needed to act fast. Cat Noir managed a particularly good blow to the villain, sending him flying. Unfortunately, his spikes allowed him to avoid his own plants. But it gave him enough time to rush to Ladybug and help her up. She was holding a watering can. 

"What's the plan m'lady?"

"Distract him." She slurred. He eyed her warily as she stumbled and picked up some of the plants and put them in the can. "Be ready WhenI sayso." 

He engaged the villain all while keeping an eye on Ladybug whose hands seemed to be getting stiff.

"Naw." She stumbled forward pushing a rock in the can and blocking the hole facing her. A cloud of dust spewed out the nozzle, engulfing the villain as she fell to the ground. Cat Noir dove out of the way, called his cataclysm and reached for the pouch while the villain coughed and moved aimlessly. Once the item destroyed, he rushed to Ladybug who was struggling to sit up. He gently pulled her to her feet and she gave her lucky charm the slightest of throws.

"Miraxlous laybug." She slumped against him. He held on tightly, pulling her closer to him, thankful that her power had worked and was clearing the plants away. Soon, her magical ladybugs would fix her as well. His gaze was fixed on her as the ladybugs encompassed her. He could feel the moment she was healed. Her weight lessened in his arms as she could use her muscles to support herself. The moment the ladybugs were gone, she threw her yoyo at the retreating akuma, capturing it. 

"You can let go of me now Kitty." She smiled at him. Right, his arms still encircled her. He hugged her closer instead. She froze in surprise before relaxing and giving him a pat on the arm. 

"That was terrifying, Ladybug." What would he have done it she had been fully paralyzed? She was the one with the power to fix things. She was the one with access to Master Fu and more miraculous, not that he could have left her to get help. Sometimes he really wished his powers were different. 

She gently pushed him away and released a cleansed butterfly. "Serves me right for hoping for an akuma attack I guess." She laughed. "Careful what you wish for, right?" She raised her fist. He pounded it, feeling guilty now for having been so happy at the excuse to see her. 

"You were hoping for one? Did you miss me Bugaboo?" He leaned toward her with a smile, burying his previous anxiety. "Because you don't have to wait for an akuma attack to see me m'lady."

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the victim. That wasn't a no. He followed with a grin on his face. 

"What happened? What am I doing here?" She helped up the older skinny man. 

"You were akumatized." Cat Noir picked up and handed him his seed pouch. 

"Oh no, my research! My plants!" He grabbed it and ran off. 

"It's ok, the magical ladybugs would have fixed everything!" Ladybug yelled after him. He kept running. 

Ladybug sighed and used the Eiffel tower to swing off towards the nearest building. He catapulted himself to follow her. 

"Why the rush?" He quoted, earning himself a smile. His heart fluttered, encouraged by the small action. 

"I have to deliver something to Master Fu." 

"You've been seeing him a lot lately. Is everything ok?"

"For now." She looked momentarily worried. 

"Hawkmoth didn't find out where he was, did he?" He hadn't seen the whole fight after all. 

She shook her head. "Hawk Moth knows his name though." 

He nodded. That part he remembered.

Her earrings beeped. "I have to hurry. I'll see you around Kitty." He watched her figure shrink into the distance as she swung away before making his way back to the school, his heart lightened by her simple use of that nickname.


	5. Reflekdoll

"Now let's get a picture with the designer!" Alya said with full enthusiasm, pushing Marinette towards Adrien and Juleka while grabbing Marinette’s phone. Adrien allowed room so she would be between them. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"Smile!" 

She looked back at Alya and her phone as Adrien put his arm around her. She glanced at it in glee. He was touching her! His hand felt so warm, his skin looking very soft. As she observed it, his ring caught her eye. There was something about it… her mind became a fog as she tried to remember what it was that was bugging her about it. 

"Marinette! Look at the camera!"

She shook herself and obeyed. What had she been thinking about again? She smiled and gave a small wave for the camera.

Adrien's bodyguard cleared his throat and pointed to his watch. 

"Sorry girls, I really do need to go now." Adrien pulled away. Her shoulder was suddenly colder but still tingly.

“Thanks again for your help Adrien.” Alya gave Marinette her phone back. “I think we should do more of Juleka on her own. Marinette, why don’t you take Adrien back to your place so he can change and you can join us after.” Her friend winked at her. 

“Uh, I - yeah ok.” Marinette’s heart was beating fast. Her and Adrien? Alone in her room? While he changed? She became red just thinking about it. They walked away from the girls towards Adrien’s car, his driver leading the way. 

“This outfit is really cool Marinette. You’re so talented.” Adrien said. 

“Thanks.” She had to keep her answers simple. That was the key. Alya had her heart in the right place, but she was still way too nervous to ask Adrien out. Maybe she really should try a letter again. She had managed to actually give him one a week ago, even if it did turn out to be the wrong letter. “You look really cool. I mean you make it look really cool.”

"I’d like to show some of those pictures to my dad. I think he’d be impressed. He really loved the hat you made. You wouldn't mind, would you?”

“Really?” She beamed. 

“Yeah, Chloe’s mom was right when she said you’d be a great designer one day.”

Marinette tried to hide her blush as Adrien held the car door open for her. She took a deep breath as he slid next to her. Ok, she could do this. 

“Let me know next time you do another shoot. This was a lot of fun and way more exciting than my usual shoots.”

“Yeah, that was pretty crazy. I hope Juleka forgives me.”

“You were just trying to help her. I’m sure she knows that.” He said encouragingly. 

“I didn’t realize this was important to her. I thought she was just helping me out.”

“I don’t see how you could have known.”

“Still, I should have listened to her and let her explain like she said.”

“That was the akuma talking. You’re a great friend Marinette. Besides, you can’t change the past. Now you know what to do next time she gets a panic attack.”

Marinette smiled at him. “You’re right.” She hadn't even known that that's what Juleka was experiencing. She would be patient and give her friend the time to express herself next time.

The car drove up to her house. Marinette took a few more calming breaths as she led them inside the bakery. 

“Hey honey, back already?” Her mom greeted her at the door, coming over to give her a hug.

“I just brought Adrien back so he can change, then I’ll be joining the others again.”

“I hope you’re all ok. There was a really large supervillain around here just a few minutes ago but Ladybug and Cat Noir seemed to have fixed everything.” 

Marinette stopped herself from correcting her mom that it had been a large sentimonster. 

“I think you mean Lady Noire and Misterbug.” Her dad walked in, holding a tablet. “Look at this!” He showed his wife the video footage before noticing they had a guest. “Hello Adrien, good to see you again.”

“I wonder why they switched.” Sabine wondered, giving the tablet back to Tom. 

Adrien’s bodyguard walked in, looking displeased. 

“I uh, better go change.” Adrien said.

“Right.” Marinette led him to her room. Stay calm, stay calm. 

“They do look kind of cool, don’t you think?” He showed her an image of the superheroes on his phone. Woah. She barely recognized herself. She hadn’t realized her eyes had changed to the green cat-like ones. It made sense, they looked like Cat Noir's a bit. Well, Cat Noir as his usual self anyway. Today his eyes had been a rich beautiful green without the cat-like appearance and green sclera. Was this what his eyes actually looked like as a civilian? If so they were gorgeous. And then there had been his six-pack... Marinette shook herself. He had just looked different, that was all. More normal. It had suited him.

"Yeah, pretty cool." 

Adrien put his phone away and went behind the made-up change room where his clothes still hung. Marinette nervously twisted her hands as he threw the outfit over the separator and grabbed his clothes. She looked away even though she couldn’t see him, her face getting hot again.

She focused her thoughts on earlier in the day. She had really removed her earrings. For a chance of pictures with Adrien. She should have switched them out when they had decided to go outside instead. Or she should have brought her bag with her so Tikki would have been closer. She hadn't been thinking. Adrien had looked amazing in the clothes she had designed and it had turned her brain to mush. Never again. She didn't deserve to stay Ladybug after what she had foolishly done but Tikki had come back to her. She had been so relieved, fearing her kwami would have gone to Master Fu instead. Crazy how Cat Noir had lost his miraculous, again, at the same time she had removed hers. It had been lucky really. She had stumbled across Plagg and had been relieved that at least she could have some powers until Tikki found her. Only somehow she had found Cat Noir instead. She was dying of curiosity but would never ask about it. Their identities had to remain secret. 

“Here.” Adrien handed her the outfit in a neat pile with the jewelry on top of it. 

“Thanks.” She squeaked, grabbing the clothes. They were still warm. 

“Do you want a lift back to the others? It’s on our way, I don’t think my driver would mind.” 

“You’re great- I mean that’d be great.” She turned to put the clothes down and took a deep breath of air. Oh man, it smelled faintly like him… She shook herself and followed him back downstairs. 

*****  
“Can we drop Marinette back with her friends?” Adrien asked the gorilla. 

The man frowned but gave a curt nod. Adrien smiled. His bodyguard must be in a good mood because they were definitely running late. 

“Here, have a snack before you go!” Tom walked over with a tray of pastries. Adrien gladly took one with cheese and slipped a piece to Plagg. “Thanks, Mr. Dupain.” He held the door for Marinette who didn’t seem in a very talkative mood. Perhaps she was still thinking over what had happened with Juleka. They sat in silence until they arrived and he waved her goodbye. He wished he could have stayed longer. It had been really fun. 

He sighed as he slumped back against his seat alone. He pulled out his phone to stare at the images of his lady some more. She looked good in black. Really good. That first glimpse he had gotten of her from far away had made his heart race. Although, he had missed her blue eyes. His own had remained green as mister bug so it seemed a fair bet that her real eye color was blue, not green.  
How crazy that she had lost her miraculous at the same time that he had been stupid enough to remove his. Never again. He had learned that lesson for sure. Doing Ladybug’s job was a lot more nerve-racking and draining than he had thought it would be. It may have been partly because it had been his first time with her powers but he definitely agreed that it was a lot easier to fight than to come up with an elaborate plan. His lady had a knack for it that he simply didn’t have. She had, on the other hand, fully relished in the swap. Demonstrating that she was, in fact, capable of having a sense of humor in the heat of battle when she wasn't so focused on making a plan. He smiled at how she had called him Bugaboy. At the moment he had been aggravated. He had been stressed about how they would defeat the sentimonster and she was enjoying letting him suffer a little too much. He had to admit he had deserved it though. Just the previous day, he had been flirting with her as she had tried to figure out what to do with her lucky charm, a leaf blower. He had grabbed it to push the villain away since he had yet to retrieve his staff. It had seemed funny at the time. Ladybug hadn't thought so since it meant she had to change her plan. It had all worked out though so he had teased her about her lack of sense of humor. He sure was swallowing those words now. Her costume really was heavier on the shoulder and his jokes, if ill-timed, definitely could be seen as annoying when she was trying to come up with a plan. He’d be more mindful of that in the future, he promised himself. No more jokes while she was forming a plan. 

They pulled up to his house and he walked in. No one was there waiting for him so apparently he was off the hook for being late. He went to his room, Plagg zipping out of hiding the second they were alone, making a beeline for the cheese cabinet. 

“I just fed you.” Adrien complained. 

“You fed me only part of a piece of camembert. Tikki took a bite. I need to make up for the missing cheese.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. Tikki had barely taken a bite. Obviously she wasn’t a cheese fan like Plagg was. 

“Ladybug didn’t give you a bite to eat?”

“Yeah, of a macaroon.” Plagg scoffed. 

Macaroons? He had to carry around gross, stinky, squishy cheese and Ladybug got to carry around macaroons? That hardly seemed fair. 

“Can we get more bread from Marinette’s bakery?” 

“I just gave you some cheese croissant.”

“But I want more…”

He wished he had known that before leaving. Plagg had become quite the fan of putting his cheese on bread and apparently Tom and Sabine’s bread was the only one that was good enough. He had even gone to visit Marinette a few weeks ago after her grandfather had gotten akumatized at Plagg’s request to get some of said bread. It had lasted less than two days. Granted, he had eaten some of it as well. It was exceptionally good food after all. But it was too late now.

“Next time."

Plagg seemed satisfied enough.

"Crazy how Ladybug didn't have her miraculous either." He pointed out after eating his snack. "I thought she had better sense than you."

"I told you I was sorry." Adrien grumbled. 

"And at the same time as you did. Seems like quite the coincidence don't you think?"

"What are you getting at Plagg?" He had already promised to never again remove his ring.

"Nothing. It just seemed to be something worth pointing out."

Adrien pulled out his homework, ignoring Plagg. His kwami had a weird sense of humor at times. He still wouldn't trade it for anything though. He scratched Plagg under the ear. 

"Glad to have you back Plagg." 

"You didn't like your time with Tikki?"

"She did have better manners." Adrien teased. "But you've got my back."

Plagg smiled. 

"How was your time with Ladybug? You didn't say anything embarrassing about me again did you?" Last time Plagg had helped Ladybug he had told her he had lost his miraculous instead of the truth which had been that he had been turned to glitter. 

"She didn't really give me time to say anything."

"It's lucky you found her."

"Yeah, lucky." He replied almost sadly. 

*****

"What a day." Marinette leaned against her bedroom door, finally alone in her room.

Tikki popped out of her purse and happily flew out. "Juleka seemed really happy when you left. Good job Marinette."

Marinette smiled. Juleka had explained to them how Adrien, a professional model, being there had made her nervous. Turns out she had started considering it as a career ever since her supposed curse was broken. Marinette had had no idea. Neither did Alya who had apologized profusely. At least now Juleka felt more comfortable. She agreed to model for Marinette again in the future and was hoping Adrien would join them so she could get some pointers. 

Marinette happily hummed as she grabbed her sketchbook and went up to her balcony where she settled into her chair.

"What are you working on now Marinette?" Tikki asked, hovering over her page. 

"Just feeling inspired." She smiled. "I have a few ideas of outfits that would look amazing on Juleka and Adrien." She started to sketch. Tikki watching quietly.

"Marinette." She eventually said hesitantly. 

"Yes, Tikki?" 

"You're happy as Ladybug right?" 

Marinette put her pad down. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seemed happy with the Cat miraculous. You said it was lighter on the shoulders." 

Marinette cupped her hands around Tikki. "It was fun for a day but I'd choose you over another kwami any time." Tikki smiled. "Besides, Cat Noir and I work better the way things have always been."

"You handle the pressure well but I know it can be a lot." 

"It helps when you have the most supportive best friend." Marinette poked Tikki's nose, making her giggle. "I meant it when I said I was happy to have you back. I'm never ever letting you go again." 

"And I'm glad to be back with you too." Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek. 

"Did you at least enjoy your time with Cat Noir?" 

Tikki nodded. "He's very polite."

Marinette laughed. 

"There's more to him than you see Marinette."

Marinette hummed in some kind of agreement and went back to her sketching. 

Tikki sighed. One day.


	6. Weredad

"Alya! It's good to see you. Here to help Marinette with her heartache?" 

Marinette froze midway through cleaning a dish as her father greeted their guest. 

"Heartache?" Alya responded perplexed. 

Shoot. Marinette raced to the door. "I've got it dad, thanks!" She grabbed Alya's arm. 

"Such a trooper. Look at this brave face." He ruffled her hair. "Cat Noir doesn't know what he's missing!"

"Daaaad." She pushed his arm away and tried to pull Alya away from the doorway.

"Cat Noir?" Alya asked surprised. "I came here to see if you guys were ok. There was a giant spiky beanstalk in your yard!"

"Yeah, that was my fault." Her father said ashamed. 

"Come on Alya, we can talk in my room." She pulled her friend away before her dad would divulge too much. 

"I'll get you two some snacks!"

"It's ok dad!"

"Nonsense, it's the least I can do after this morning." Her dad walked towards the kitchen. Marinette continued to lead her friend up to her room.

"What happened? What's this about a heartache and Cat Noir?" 

What would she tell her? "Remember last night's akuma attack?"

"Yeah, Gigantitan was roaming the streets at night again. You texted me that no one was hurt despite your house getting demolished."

"Right so, after Ladybug fixed everything I was on my balcony and Cat Noir showed up looking for Ladybug who had just passed by and then my dad came up to make sure I was ok after all that destruction." Marinette took a breath. "And he saw me standing with Cat Noir and jumped to conclusions and invited him over for brunch."

Alya blinked. "Hold it. Your dad invited Paris' superhero to brunch? Because he thought what? What conclusion?"

"He thought we were secretly dating or something." Marinette blushed and looked away. "He was quite excited about the whole idea." Which had really surprised her. He didn't think it would be dangerous at all. Nor did he think it would be a completely wrong pairing. No, her dad had been over the moon. It had been so embarrassing. 

"Ok…" Alya was perplexed. 

"So Cat Noir came over for brunch and my dad kept trying to set a romantic mood." 

Alya blinked again, a gap appearing between her lips. 

"But Cat Noir made it very clear that he was sorry but he loved Ladybug and my dad got upset and turned into Weredad."

Alya starred mouth fully agape. 

"But we're ok! Cat Noir and Ladybug saved me."

"Saved you?"

"Um yeah. I was locked away in the beanstalk."

"Ok hold up. Let me get this straight." Alya paused collecting her thoughts. "Cat Noir was here. On a date. With you. Planned by your dad. Because he wanted you to date."

"It wasn't a date-"

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"I honestly didn't think he would show up."

"You had brunch with a superhero! But wait, your dad said you were heartbroken." She gasped. "Do you have feelings for Cat Noir?"

"What! No! My dad just thought I did."

"But why would he think that?"

Marinette hesitated. What could she say? 

"He just misread the situation."

"And what was the situation exactly?" She narrowed her eyes. 

"I may have been hugging Cat Noir when my dad showed up." Marinette looked away. Alya was too good of an investigator to not simply accept her lies. 

"You were hugging!"

"Just as a thank you! You know. For saving me."

"Are you sure you don't have a small crush? I mean I know you really like Adrien but-"

"There's no but! Cat Noir's just a- a friend!"

"A friend?"

"Ok, maybe we're not _ friends _ friends but becoming friends. Maybe."

Alya's eyes shined with excitement. 

"What?"

"Nothing. Not a thing. Everything is cool." 

Marinette eyed her friend suspiciously. It's not like Alya wasn't friends with Paris' superheroes what with her being Rena Rouge every once in a while. 

"Maybe he'll ask you to be a superhero!" She burst then immediately bit her lip. 

Marinette coughed. So that was it. Her friend was excited at the idea of them being superheroes together.

"Please. I'm not superhero material." She gave an awkward laugh. "Besides, that would be awkward. I'm sure that if Cat Noir was to pick a superhero," which she hadn't asked him to do yet. "That he would have someone better in mind."

"Maybe," Alya shrugged, letting the topic drop. "I hope for his sake that Ladybug returns his feelings one day. It sounds like the boy has it bad."

Marinette nodded along, more to embrace the new topic than in actual agreement.   
She didn't know what to think of the whole ordeal. She had wanted Cat Noir to move on but when she had thought he had been over her because of a simple declaration, she had been upset. She didn't want to look too closely as to why. She liked Adrien. She didn't really know Cat Noir outside the mask and it would be a bad idea for them to date. They had a job to do. It didn't matter that ok, maybe part of her liked him. But not in that way. Not in the way he liked her. She hoped he was ok. He had run off rather abruptly to go check on her and then had pretty much immediately left since his ring had beeped. He had ignored her as Ladybug to go see if she, Marinette was ok. There was something about that-

"Well, I'm glad you're ok. Two akuma attacks destroying your house in under 24 hours. That's crazy. You don’t mind if I share it on the Ladyblog do you?”

“Just don’t say anything about- you know.”

“How you’re secretly Cat Noir’s girlfriend?” She wiggled her eyebrows. 

Marinette groaned. 

“Kidding. Don’t worry. Nothing personal I promise.”

That was a relief. She was eager to put this disaster behind her. 

*****  
Adrien was apprehensive about seeing Marinette again. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her upset when she didn't put up such a brave front to spare his feelings. She had taken his rejection well enough in the end but her initial outcry was fresh in his mind. He wished there was something he could have done to have made it less painful for her. He had tried to let her down gently. He had failed.   
The last time she had been heartbroken, he had shown up as Cat Noir with his own heartache and had managed to cheer her up by showing her what he had planned for Ladybug. It wasn’t as if he could cheer her up that way this time. Anything remotely romantic would be cruel. Maybe that had been when she had started to fall in love with him. That would make sense he supposed. He still found it surprising that Marinette would be in love with his alter ego. Marinette was such a kind, sweet girl and he thought she would like a similarly nice boy, like Luka. He had even tried to pry out the reason why she liked him during brunch, joking around about why he didn’t blame her since he was so awesome. Marinette had simply blinked. It had been awkward. It didn’t matter. Whatever the reason she had fallen in love with him, she was now hurt because of his rejection.   
Adrien sighed. He couldn't cheer her up as Cat Noir but maybe Adrien could. He smiled. 

*****

Marinette hummed as she got ready for the day. 

"You're in a good mood." Tikki noticed. 

Marinette grinned. Yesterday had been crazy and she was just happy it had all worked out. “Yup, disaster averted.”

“You should never have lied in the first place.”

“I know Tikki but it’s too late for that now.”

“Cat Noir just seemed really torn over having hurt you.”

“He’ll be fine.” Marinette said with certainty. Although something he had said during the brunch had worried her a little. What was hapening in his life that made their very awkward and uncomfortable brunch one of the friendliest he’s had in a while? It had been the worst meal of her life. And it’s not like she could talk to him about it as Ladybug because he hadn’t told Ladybug and besides, they couldn’t share personal stuff since they had to keep their identities secret. 

“He’s more sensitive than you give him credit for.” Tikki said, getting into her purse as Marinette made her way downstairs. She had seen his more sensitive side but surely he wouldn’t be that affected by his rejecting her. Right?

Marinette was deep in thought as she went into the kitchen and was surprised to see crepes on the table. 

"Good morning sweety." Her mom said. "How are you holding up?" She came over to hug her. Right. She was supposedly heartbroken. 

"You're father made you your favorite breakfast. An apology for yesterday I think."

Marinette felt guilty that he had felt the need to apologize. "Apologize for what?"

"He feels terrible that he put your life in danger as Weredad."

"That wasn't his fault. He was akumatized."

"He also feels bad that he went a little overboard and might have scared off your potential boyfriend."

"He didn't scare him off. He's just dedicated to Ladybug."

Her mother smiled at her. "When did my little girl get so grown up?"

Marinette hugged her again. "Is papa baking?" She hated that he felt bad about what was essentially all a lie. 

"He went out actually. Enjoy your breakfast. He'll be back for lunch if you want to drop by." 

She would make sure to do so. She wanted her dad to know she wasn't angry or upset.   
The breakfast was really good though. She snuck one of her last bites to Tikki and headed off to school. She may just be on time for once. 

*****

"Hey, Marinette!" Adrien walked out of his car as she approached the school entrance. 

"Hey!" She waved. He lightly jogged to catch up with her. 

"How's it going? Everyone saw the giant beanstalk near your house yesterday."

No kidding, not only had Alya visited but all her friends had texted her checking how she was doing. 

"I'm ok. Everything is back to normal now." She said cheerfully. 

"Normal." Adrien repeated looking thoughtful. He was eyeing her curiously and she blushed under his stare. "Well just in case you decide you need to get your mind off things, I have a photoshoot near the Eiffel tower today. You should come!" 

Her heartbeat could not be at a safe rhythm right now. He was inviting her to a shoot? "Yeah, I'd love you. I mean I'd love to!" she winced.

Adrien chuckled. "Great, I'll see you then." He waved then continued to make his way into the school.

"Ok see you." She watched him leave, frozen in place. Holy smokes! She texted Alya immediately. 

*****

"Marinette seems to be having a good time." Plagg pointed out. “Are you sure you don’t want to be her boyfriend?”

“Stop thinking of bread Plagg.” Adrien chided as he changed his shirt. 

Plagg scowled. Stupid, stubborn, blind- How did Tikki handle this? Maybe he could get close enough to Marinette’s bag to find out...

“Marinette deserves someone who will love her back.”

Plagg huffed. This was silly. Adrien was already heading back for more pictures. He quickly zipped into his pocket. 

“That’s such a cool outfit!” Marinette gushed. 

“Thanks, it’s part of my father’s next collection.”

She sounded too far away. Besides he could guess what Tikki would say. That their two duffuses of masters weren’t ready yet. The day they did eventually figure things out was going to be rich. Adrien was going to kick himself when he realizes he had turned down Ladybug. He hoped that day would come sooner rather than later. 

“Don’t worry my sweet cheese. You will be reunited with soft warm bread soon enough.” 

*****

Marinette smiled as Adrien posed for the photographer. He looked so good, the dress shirt he was modeling really bringing out his eyes. Marinette surprised herself when she sighed. She straightened herself, wishing Alya was there to make sure she didn't make a fool of herself. 

"Last one! Wonderful!" The photographer said passionately, changing the angle he was shooting from before putting the camera down. 

Adrien walked back towards her. She took a shaky, calming breath. Why did he have to look so good?

"That's the last one." Adrien said, looking exhausted. "Sorry it went a little longer than I thought it would."

"Don’t be, I really enjoyed it. Thanks again for inviting me.”

“Akuma alert! Akuma spotted near the Panthéon.”

“But I should get home!” She said, suddenly tense. 

“Yeah, and I better get changed and get out of here. That akuma isn’t that far from here.” He was already baking away towards his trailer. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” He ran off. Marinette quickly did the same and hid between two buildings.

“Talk about bad timing. Tikki, spots on!” She swung unto a rooftop and made her way towards the Panthéon. 

“I’m glad we’ll be facing this one together Ladybug.” Cat Noir joined her, keeping up with her pace as they moved from rooftop to rooftop.

Now that she thought about it, she had no idea what Cat Noir had been doing while she was trying to free herself from her prison. He had seemed pretty badly beaten up when they had finally landed back on solid ground. 

“Sorry I wasn’t there sooner the other day.”

“You did the right thing saving Marinette first and capturing the akuma. Besides, I knew you’d show up when I needed you.” He flashed her a grin.

She smiled despite herself. His faith in her warmed her heart. “Marinette told me quite the story about how her dad got akumatized.” She mentioned casually, testing the waters.

Cat Noir’s movements became less fluid as his smile dropped. 

“Oh yeah?” He asked vaguelly. 

Ladybug watched him closely, they were still a few minutes from where the akuma was she estimated. “You did the right thing by being honest with her. She doesn’t blame you.”

“She doesn’t?” He looked at her surprised. “But I hurt her feelings.”

“You can’t help the way you feel.”

Cat Noir smiled. “Her mom told me something similar.” 

Ladybug did her best to hide her surprise. She had? “Well, she’s right.”

“I just hope Marinette will be alright. She’s a really amazing girl.”

“Amazing uh? Maybe you like her after all.” Ladybug looked away. Why did she say that?

“I just meant she deserves to be happy. You know there’s only one girl for me.” He winked at her, hurrying up ahead of her. I guess they were done talking. She wishes she could ask him if he was lonely. What his home situation was. Why a brunch with a wacky family was the friendsliest he had in months… 

“Hey Cat Noir.” She caught up next to him. He looked back at her expectantly. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say. Thoughts of asking him to have dinner with her or to simply hang out after they had dealt with the akuma threatened to make their way out of her lips. But doing so would get his hopes up. “You deserve to be happy too.” 

He blinked at her. For once no remark at the ready. 

“Come on, let’s get this supervillain back to normal.” She lept ahead as they finally reached the Panthéon, her mind fully into Ladybug mode.


	7. Silencer

Adrien watched Kitty Section play on TV. He was glad justice had been served in the end. His friends deserved to get recognized for their work. 

“And so you wrote the music for Unicorn?” Alec, the interviewer asked Luka after they had finished their song. 

“That’s right but Rose here wrote the lyrics.” Luka pointed her out.

“You guys are quite the talented group. Where did the awesome costumes come from?”

“They’re a 100% original creation by Marinette.” Luka waved her over from off-camera. 

Marinette blushed as she walked onto the set and Luka pulled her closer. Adrien smiled. It looked like Marinette had feelings for Luka after all. It had been almost a month since she had declared feelings for him, well Cat Noir. She was obviously doing ok now. Bob had called Marinette Luka’s girlfriend. He hadn’t known they were dating but he was happy for them. He had guessed pretty early on that Luka had feelings for her and had wondered if she shared them. Adrien sighed, pushing away the jealousy that was creeping into his heart. If only Ladybug would get over the boy she liked and decided to let herself love him instead too. There was no denying they had something special. He smiled again at how she had called him her kitty. Hers.

“Very cool. There you have it! Shall we hear another song?” Alec asked the audience. A loud cheer encouraged the band to play another of their songs. He recognized it from that time he had joined their group for the music festival. He smiled at the memory. 

“Ugh. Today’s music is so weird. Why is she screaming?” Plagg complained. 

“I think it’s unique.” 

“Pleh. You’re just defending it because your girlfriend helped with their costumes.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. Plagg had been calling Marinette that since her confession to Cat Noir. 

“She’s not my girlfriend Plagg. She’s dating Luka.” Maybe he’d finally drop it now. 

Plagg groaned. “Whatever. I’m going to eat my cheese in peace, away from this insane music.” He flew off. 

Adrien laughed. Maybe he should just buy more bread from Marinette’s bakery. That way Plagg might stop obsessing over her. 

*****

“You guys rocked. I can’t believe we were on TV!” Marinette gushed as they walked towards André’s ice cream stand to celebrate. 

“All thanks to you Marinette. It was your idea to stand up for the group.”

“Don’t forget Cat Noir and Ladybug catching Mr. Roth’s confession on TV.” Ivan mentioned. Marinette smiled proudly. It was a good thing Cat Noir had been quick to get the whole thing on camera. She had rarely felt so smug before. 

“Do you think they’re finally dating?” Rose jumped up and down. 

“What makes you think they’re dating?” Marinette blinked at the change in topic.

“Didn’t you see her calling him _her_ kitty and his lovestruck face. Those two are so cute!” She gushed. 

“They do have chemistry.” Luka stroked his chin. 

Marinette laughed awkwardly. “I doubt it. They just work well as a team.” Usually that was. They did not make a good charades team but at least he had picked up on the “I need your belt” one when it had counted most. The day’s poor communication and annoying comments aside, they were a great team. He had gone along with her plan even though he doubted it would work. Thankfully it had and she, along with everyone else, had gotten their voices back. But not before letting Cat Noir get a piece of his own medicine. Just a little before fixing everything. She tried not to smile at the memory of his desperation for his voice back. Served him right after all his teasing. 

“Aww Milène and Ivan back again!” André smiled, handing them their usual ice cream. “Here you go. And rose and Juleka! I see we came back for seconds.” He gave them both bright pink and purple bubblegum ice creams. “And who have we here? A new customer?”

“Luka.” He introduced himself. 

“Well then let’s see what we need here. Oh-oh! Blackberry for her hair and blueberry for her eyes. I see.” He smiled knowingly at Marinette, handing Luka the ice cream. Marinette blushed and looked away. She already knew he liked her she reminded herself. 

“Blue eyes and black hair?” Ivan asked. 

“I guess it is magical.” Luka smiled, paying for the ice cream. 

“And last but not least, what shall Marinette have?” 

Marinette’s heart raced as she approached the stand. She could feel Luka’s eyes on her and made sure not to look back. Last time, her cone had included green for Adrien’s eyes and peach pink for his lips. 

“Hmmm, some blueberry as well with the blackberry too.” Marinette’s eyes looked up in surprise and darted to Luka’s blue eyes and black nails. Her heart beating way too fast. “But there’s mint in here too.” He finished off. 

“That’s different from last time. Black and green, it looks like Cat Noir!” Ivan pointed out. Mylène was quick to shush him. 

“What about the blue?” Juleka pointed out.

Marinette laughed. “Don’t be silly. It’s just ice cream.” She took a bite, feeling conflicted. Adrien had green eyes and a preference for that black shirt of his but what about the blue? It was just ice cream, she repeated to herself. She loved Adrien. Luka, he was just a friend. A friend who had confessed to liking her. And to which she had never responded to. She liked Luka and sure, he made her feel special and warm but she didn’t love him. Right?

After paying, they continued to walk along La Sienne towards Luka's and Juleka’s boat with Marinette ending up next to Luka. She nervously kept her eyes away uncertain of whether she should say anything about his earlier confession. What would she say? Thanks but I love someone else. It was true enough and it’s what she told Cat Noir but it felt awkward bringing it up now. He had caught her so off guard. She wished she had responded earlier. 

“So what design ideas do you have for our next demo video Marinette?” Luka eventually asked, breaking her thoughts. 

Marinette jumped but then relaxed, allow her tension to dissipate. If he wasn’t going to bring it up, neither was she. If he was anything like Cat Noir she would have another opportunity to clear things up anyway. That would give her time to figure out what to say as well. She smiled and started talking excitedly about her design ideas for Rose’s new song. 

*****

Tikki smiled at how cheerful Marinette was when they got back home. She was happily humming Kitty Section's new song as she did the dishes. It looked like Adrien would have some competition now. She didn't know who to root for most. She wished everyone could just end up happy but she knew that couldn't be the case. Someone was going to get heartbroken and she hated that. 

"Hello, Mr. Dupain." Adrien's voice floated in from the bakery. "Two loaves of bread please." 

Marinette froze and frantically dried her hands. Tikki swiftly hid in Marinette's blazer as she ran out of the room. Tikki felt the abrupt deceleration when they got to the bakery door. 

"Hey sweetheart." Her dad greeted her. 

"Hi Marinette." Adrien said. Tikki could practically hear his smile. 

"H-hi Adrien." Marinette replied. "What are you doing here?" It was crazy how human's hearts responded to people. Tikki could feel Marinette's chest beating faster and faster. 

"Your bakery is on the way to my fencing class." Tikki heard the beep of the tap machine. "I was craving a bit of a snack and your dad makes the best bread." 

"Thanks son, here have an extra loaf!" Tom said cheerfully. Tikki suppressed a giggle. She really liked Marinette's parents. 

"Thanks Mr. Dupain." 

"Anytime my boy!" 

"I saw you and Kitty Section on TV earlier by the way Marinette. Awesome designs! I'm glad you got the credit you deserved."

"Wow uh, thanks!" Tikki smiled at how her owner's chest was beating fast again. 

"I'll see you at school tomorrow. Bye." 

"Bye Adrien." The little bell at the entrance rung, indicating Adrien had probably left. 

"What's this about you being on TV?" Tom asked surprised. 

Tikki patiently waited as Marinette explained everything about the contest and how Mr. Roth had plagiarized their work.

"I'm glad to hear Cat Noir's still looking out for you even if he doesn't return your feelings."

"Dad, I told you it was just a celebrity crush. I've moved past it." 

"But this Luka boy sounds nice, standing up for you like that. You should invite him over for dinner sometime!" 

"Uh yeah, maybe." Funny how that thought had Marinette's heart racing too. "I better go finish the dishes." Marinette walked out of the room. Despite how much Marinette may want to deny it, Tikki knew Marinette's heart was being pulled in many directions. The question was when was Marinette going to realize it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know it's funny, I only realized the color inversion of Marienette’s and Adrien’s shirts while writing this chapter. White over black vs black over white. Clever little yin and yang there.


	8. Onichan

“I must say, you impressed me Marinette. I’m proud of you. Maybe you’ll even come around to Lila.” Alya smiled as they walked towards the front door. 

Marinette bit her lip. There were exactly zero chances of that especially after the stunt Lila had pulled today. At least it had woken Cat Noir up to her lies. She could count on him in the future where Lila was concerned. She wondered about her kitty. He had left without saying anything or bumping her fist. She wondered if he knew Kagami personally. It’s what it had looked like when she had been herself again. He was a good sword fighter. Maybe he did fencing as a civilian too and did know her. The thought annoyed her for some reason and she pushed it away. So what if he maybe knew her? 

“I told you what Nino said she told him right?”

“Didn’t you see the picture she took though?” Marinette couldn’t help pointing out. She glanced back, Adrien was walking away from Lila, looking angry. She really should have trusted him in the first place. Sure she had told Tikki it was because she was worried about Adrien but clearly he could make his own correct decisions. She didn’t know all of what Lila had done to make him realize just how bad she was but she was glad he saw through it and wasn’t going to put up with it. 

“That’s just Lila being friendly.” Alya explained. 

It was pointless to argue. Alya didn’t see what Marinette did as Ladybug. But Lila was bound to mess up again and hopefully, Alya would be there to see the truth. She just had to be patient. 

*****  
Adrien bit his lip at Kagami’s blush at his compliment. He had wanted to make her feel better but he hoped he wasn’t sending the wrong message either. He wasn’t supposed to know how she felt for him. Cat Noir had been the one to discover she loved him. Now he understood a bit better what Ladybug had meant by not wanting to lie to him by hiding her feelings. He wondered if he should do the same here. Only in his case, Kagami had never actually said anything to him. Not that he hadn’t tried to get her to talk to him as Cat Noir when he had brought her home after she had been deakumatized.

“Will you be alright?” He had asked concerned. 

“Yes.” She had answered simply, still clutching the preserved rose he had given her back when he considered switching targets. He should never have agreed to that date. He had broken her heart it seemed. First Marinette and now Kagami. He hatted hurting the people he cared about. 

“Maybe you should talk to this boy you like so much.”

She had turned away from him. “There’s no point. He likes someone else. I was taken for a fool with that picture. I thought that if Adrien did get over the girl he liked before for someone it would have been me.”

“Then you should know that that picture was a lie. That Lila girl can’t be trusted.” He had said the last part with a bit more venom than he had planned to. He still couldn’t believe what she had tried to do to Ladybug. He was never going to help her again. He had thought she was just lonely and uncertain how to make friends but he had been wrong. She was dangerous and unless she changed her tune he wanted nothing to do with her. He had fallen for her lies for the last time. 

Kagami had gaped at him. “How do you know?” 

“Ask him yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Only she was with him, Adrien him, now and she hadn’t asked. Should he say something? He wanted to make her feel better but didn’t want to give her false hopes. He didn’t want to push her away the way Ladybug sometimes did to him either. She was allowed to feel what she felt and she already knew he liked someone else. 

“So I saw you had a rough day yesterday.” He decided on. 

“I- rather not talk about it.” She looked embarrassed. 

“There’s nothing to feel ashamed of. It happens to a lot of people.”

“I’m supposed to be stronger than that.”

“We all have our moments of weakness.” 

She nodded and got up, heading towards the girl's change room. Adrien sighed. He couldn’t force her to talk about it. They could still be friends and he would just need to let her know gently if ever he was lucky enough for Ladybug to love him back. Not that he could tell her that that was who he was dating but still. If ever it got out, the last thing he needed was an akumatized Kagami going after Ladybug. 

He went to the boy's locker room to change as well. It was empty, everyone else had left at the normal end time. 

“You seemed to have upset one of your girlfriends.”

“Plagg we’ve been over this.” He grumbled. "I don't have a girlfriend."

“Kagami, Marinette, Lila…”

“Lila and I aren’t even friends anymore.” Adrien interrupted. “And if anyone is going to be my girlfriend, it’s going to be Ladybug. Both Marinette and Kagami know that.” Well, Kagami didn’t know it was Ladybug he was in love with and Marinette didn’t know he was Cat Noir and besides she had moved on to Luka but the sentiment stood. He rubbed his head. 

“Let’s talk about something else.”

He expected Plagg to laugh at his misery but found him giving him a sympathetic look instead. “Well, I’m glad you’re no longer trying to be friends with that Lila girl. She was bad news.”

No kidding. He wasn’t sure what she had been trying to do with getting into his house and taking that picture and so maybe she didn’t mean to get Nathalie and his bodyguard into trouble but he did know what she had meant to do by lying about her ankle. At least Ladybug hadn’t gotten hurt. If she had then Lila would have paid for it. No one hurt the people he loved. No one.


	9. Miraculer

Cat Noir was very relieved when Ladybug had finally used her lucky charm to fix everything. He had been cataclysmed. Twice. At least now he knew what it was like. He would have preferred to discover the answer to that question in a different way. He had been absolutely helpless near the end, the pain had been too much. He had been so close to losing his miraculous and he had had no more strength left. It was a good thing Ladybug had rescued him. She had helped him up which had helped him regain a bit of strength but not nearly enough. 

He fell back a bit as the other superheroes followed Ladybug. She would be getting their miraculouses back and he knew the drill. His body back to full force, he took the long way home, glad once again for Ladybug's superpower to set everything right. He kept an eye out for Mayura but he knew she was probably long gone and who knew what way she had left. He wouldn't let her get the best of him again. Unlike Hawk Moth, it looked like they may be seeing her more often. 

"Cat Noir!" A familiar voice called to him. He stopped in his tracks, watching his lady catch up to him. "I wanted to make sure you were ok." Her face was full of concern. It warmed his heart. 

"I'm ok now that you're back." He smiled at her, making her giggle. 

"But seriously Cat Noir, you took quite a beating today."

"It's nothing. Your magical ladybugs fixed everything. I just had to wait for you to save the day."

"It was a close one. For a moment there…"

For a moment she had worried. He had felt it. Miraculer had been winning the fight against Carapace and Rena Rouge, he had basically been incapacitated, none of them had their powers and there had still been Mayura who had the bee miraculous. In a last bit of strength, he had managed to get Mayura to drop the bee miraculous and Ladybug had taken charge again, a plan in motion in seconds. 

"I knew you would save me. You always do." He reassured her. 

She blushed and looked away. Obviously still feeling nervous about what had happened. 

"You made the right call today to get Chloe to help." He tried to change the subject. 

Ladybug nodded. "I don't think she took the news too well about it not happening again."

Cat Noir had to agree there. He had known that whenever Ladybug would break the news to her that it would be hard on his friend. She had handled it a lot better than he thought she would. 

"It's good that you finally told her."

"I guess so." Ladybug still seemed upset. 

"And it's still the right call. It would be too dangerous for Chloe and her family if you gave her the bee miraculous again. Just look at what Mayura tried to do today."

Ladybug sighed. "I know. I just feel like being Queen Bee made Chloe a better person. What's going to happen now?"

He smiled at her concern. "That's up to Chloe."

Ladybug sighed again. "You're right. I just hope she makes the right decisions." 

He did too. 

"I'm glad you're ok Cat Noir. I should go return the miraculouses to Master Fu." She was on her way before he could say goodbye. He headed home and transformed back in his room. 

“Here Plagg.” He went straight to his kwami’s cheese stash. “Are you ok?” He asked as Plagg ate two pieces of camembert. 

“Let’s never get cataclysmed again ok.” 

He couldn’t have agreed more. It had been as if every organ was being punched with tiny fists that grew in intensity. 

“So you weren’t kidding about the dinosaurs then?” He focused on what Plagg had said in the alley; about never calling the dinosaurs wusses again. Plagg had once told him he was responsible for their extinction. He thought Plagg had just been messing around. 

“I was young and I just wanted to see what would happen if I cataclysmed a volcano. Turns out I destroyed a bit more than the volcano...”

Adrien blinked, remembering how Plagg had helped ladybug by cataclysm the Eiffel tower and then helped him escape by cataclysming the ground. Maybe that hadn’t been such a great idea after all. Then again no one had gotten hurt. Obviously Plagg had gotten better at controlling his power in the last million years. Sometimes he forgot how old his kwami was. 

“In my defense, I was actually trying to save them. It had been Tikki’s idea. Well, sort of.”

Adrien tried to imagine that. Ladybug’s kwami and Plagg before there were any humans, doing whatever it was that kwamis did when they didn’t have wielders when a thought occurred to him. 

“Plagg, what did you eat before camembert was invented?”

“Oh, it was horrible. Wild fruit and plants. Tikki always made them way too sweet. It was a good century when you humans finally domesticated sheep.”

“Sheep?”

“Yeah, it was a happy wonderful accident that resulted in the first-ever cheese.” Plagg sighed. “I can’t wait to see what you humans invent next.” He cheerfully ate another piece of cheese. 

Adrien stuck his tongue out. Sheep cheese. Gross. Maybe carrying around camembert wasn’t so bad after all.


	10. Oblivio

Adrien smiled up at the image of his kiss with Ladybug. It was quite a contrast to the first forgotten kiss which funny enough had also been frozen forever with a picture. That one had been a shock because he had only learned about it months after the fact and the purpose, he had quickly discovered afterwards, had _not_ been romantic. This one however, this one had clearly been romantic in nature. He had no memory of the kiss or why it had happened but he could piece that much together.  
What he wouldn't give to find out what happened after he got hit by Oblivio. He had searched the news but there was nothing beyond his own memories. They had been on the roof, fighting Oblivio and he had just used his cataclysm to distract the supervillain while Ladybug called for her lucky charm. It had been lipstick. 

“What am I supposed to do with this?” She had asked, eyes darting around looking for something that would help.

“Maybe it's trying to tell you to go on a date with me.” He had joked while ducking behind Ladybug and her circling yoyo to avoid getting zapped by one of Oblivio's beams.

“Not the time, Cat.” She had replied testily, eyes fixed on Oblivio.

“See, it's already brought us closer together.” 

“You're right, we should split up. You take the right and I'll take the left.”

That had been the opposite of what he had said. “Split up? But we make such a great couple!”

He may have pushed it too far because Ladybug had gotten _mad_. She had whirled on him and yelled that he stop calling them a couple. That hadn't happened in a while. Her strong reaction had made him nervous and, with a distracted mind, he had gotten hit. Ladybug hadn't been wrong about his teasing being the whole reason things had gone south. Maybe the heat of battle wasn't the wisest time to try and win her heart with sweet talk. Actually, he knew it wasn't. He had learned that when he had been in her shoes. He should have backed off sooner, he could tell it was annoying her but come on. Lipstick? It had been too good to resist. He really really should have resisted. 

Next thing he knew, he was tenderly holding his lady before being shown evidence of her kissing him. He couldn't take her ranting seriously with such evidence before them and had eagerly pointed it out to Ladybug. He knew she was shocked and still mad at him for his earlier comments but there was no supervillain anymore so he had pointed out just how wrong she was. 

“This conversation isn't over.” She had said before swinging away. Yup, he was in trouble for sure.  
He had had a bit more time on his hands than her and had helped Nino and Alya down from the roof, both of them encouraging him that clearly part of Ladybug liked him and to ‘hang in there’ as well as thank you's for saving them.

He was still perplexed about how it had happened. Ladybug had clearly lost her memory as well so how had they managed to defeat Oblivio? Both he and Ladybug had used their special powers before the memory-lost. Only when the memories came back, his ring had beeped with more time left than before he had lost his memories. He must have transformed back and somehow figured out how to become Cat Noir again. And somehow, somewhere amongst all that, Ladybug had liked him enough to kiss him. He smiled at the picture again. Tenderly. She had kissed him _tenderly_. Maybe the memories were somewhere in his subconscious. If only he could remember just one detail - 

“By the way, your phone is charged,” Plagg called his attention away from the screen. Perfect, he fully planned on downloading the image of the kiss to his phone. He unplugged his cell and turned it on, a missed call message appearing.

“Marinette?” He said surprised, seeing who called him. Marinette never called him. No voicemail. He checked the time stamp. “Plagg, this was during the akuma attack!”

Plagg looked thoroughly uninterested. 

Adrien rolled his eyes, hitting the call button. Better see what she had wanted. Adrien was rewarded with a long ring. He was about to hang up when she finally answered.

“H-hi! A-Adrien.”

“Hey, Marinette. Sorry I missed your call earlier. You ok?”

“My call? I euh… I don't remember c-calling you.”

“Oh.” Adrien felt disappointed. “Were you hit by Oblivio? It must have happened then.”

“I did…” There was an awkward pause.

“I guess you were just calling everyone on your contact list trying to remember who you were.” Adrien reasoned.

“Yeah, that must have been it.” Marinette laughed. “Hum did you get hit?” she asked quickly.

“Yeah. I don't remember anything about it though.”

“I don't know if I'd want to,” Marinette said softly.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked surprised. 

“Oh uh… just that I don't think I was quite myself during the memory loss…”

Not herself. What would he have been like without his memories? Someone Ladybug liked obviously. Unless… unless Ladybug hadn't been herself? But they were still them? With or without memories - wouldn't they be? Man he wished he knew. “Don't worry Marinette. I'm sure you wouldn't have done anything bad. You always do the right thing in the end after all.”

“T-thanks Adrien.” 

“I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'm glad you're ok. I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, school.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Marinette squeaked.

At least she sounded more cheerful. Adrien hung up. So Marinette had called while under Oblivio's spell. Maybe he had made some calls or sent a text or an email, any clue as to what may have happened. He searched the different apps on his phone. The only thing he found was an unanswered call to his father. Guess he forgot that his dad would be too busy for him even during an akuma attack. He hadn't tried anyone else. So much for hoping to find clues. 

“Plagg, are you sure you don't remember anything? Anything at all?” He asked desperately.

“Sorry kid,” Plagg replied, not sounding very sympathetic. “That's two kisses from Ladybug that you don't remember now!” His kwami cackled. 

Adrien sighed. It was becoming a cruel joke. But you know what they say; third time's the charm.

*****

Adrien had called her! Marinette twirled on her chair. 

“Did you hear me Tikki! A full phone call!”

Why she had called him in the first place was beyond her but she sure was happy she had. She checked her phone history. She had apparently called her mom before calling Adrien and eventually Master Fu. Thank goodness her phone and turtle message to herself had worked. Only not immediately by evidence of the time stamp on her phone.  
Marinette thought about what might have happened. The last thing she remembered was rushing to the elevator she had flung Cat Noir into, once there she had randomly selected a floor to escape to before quickly making the drawing just in case- and that was it. She must have gotten hit before the doors had closed. Based on how Oblivio’s other victims had reacted, they would have been out of it for somewhere between 20 and 30 seconds before they would have woken up with zero memories, probably seconds to go before they were to transform back into their civilian selves with Oblivio hot on their trail. If she hadn't immediately seen the drawing and called master Fu... then how on earth had they managed not to get captured?  
Marinette reasoned that she must have figured out her own name, probably by checking her ID and had called her mom, recognizing the last name but why call Adrien? He was her background image so maybe she thought they were close? Maybe she had been looking for answers. Only if she thought she was close to Adrien then why would she have kissed Cat Noir? Marinette buried her head into her knees. She had lost what? Half an hour? How did her amnesia-self end up kissing Cat Noir within half an hour!  
She didn't want to know. Marinette looked up eyeing the picture again. It looked like such a tender kiss. Marinette looked back at her phone. There was one person who remembered the kiss. She dialed her best friend.

“Hey, girl.” At least Alya sounded like her cheerful self again. 

“Hey, Alya, great blog post as always.”

“My numbers are through the roof! Did you know there was so much traffic initially that it crashed!”

Marinette giggled. “I can't say I'm surprised.” Half of Paris seemed to want their superheroes to date. Weird. “Tell me again what happened.” She asked in what she hoped was an innocent voice.

“Marinette, have you seen reason and have finally joined the cat and bug ship?”

“What! No! I mean-” Marinette groaned. “Nevermind.” 

“It was unbelievable!” Alyssa started anyway. “Nino and I had just been deakumatized when we awoke with the same akumisia as previous times and there, right in front of me, Ladybug and Cat Noir were kissing! It was like they knew their memories of the last half hour were going to go away and wanted to hold on. Right after Ladybug used her miraculous Ladybug, they had both held on to each other's hands tightly, heads close. It was so cute!”

Marinette processed all the information silently. She had heard it on the bus ride home (it was all Alya and soon the whole class could talk about after all) and the second telling still had her confused.

“I just don't get it.” She voiced out loud.

Alya chuckled at the end of the line. “Ladybug couldn't believe it herself. Cat Noir must be quite something outside the mask.”

That was new. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“I was looking up all the news coverage I could find. Both Ladybug and Cat Noir had been seen using their powers before they got hit. That means that they had become civilians again while amnesiacs!”

Marinette blinked. She had figured as much but-

“I wonder how they did it. How did they figure out what they needed to do?”

How indeed. But that was not her main concern right now. “Backup. You think ladybug fell in love with the civilian Cat Noir?”

“That or she forgot how dangerous a relationship with her partner would actually be and secretly loves Cat Noir back.” Alya laughed. “Only that doesn't seem right. She told Cat Noir that she loved another boy. I heard her myself. I wonder who! I bet she'd never tell me.”

Marinette smiled knowingly. 

“But see, I think she forgot said mysterious boy. Saw this amazing other boy, who's also a superhero. Sparks fly and voila!”

Marinette froze. She had once had that thought. The idea that if she wasn't in love with Adrien that maybe she would like Cat Noir. Oh gosh. That was it. That’s what had happened.

“I need to go Alya. My mom's calling me. See you tomorrow!” She quickly hung up. She walked over to her computer again where the picture still mocked her and turned off the screen. It didn't matter. She remembered Adrien now and would never kiss Cat Noir again. It didn't matter that her amnesiac self had fallen for her partner. It wasn't who she was now. Whatever they had shared was irrelevant now that they had their memories back. 

*****  
Tikki watched her owner struggle with the knowledge of the kiss. If only she knew who she had truly been kissing…  
Tikki had a fair guess of what had gone down during her forgotten half hour. They had faced confusion and had pieced together the clues to defeat a villain as their true uninhibited selves and as every yin and yang, it had been a perfect fit.  
After her phone call with Alya, Marinette seemed to have found a conclusion she was satisfied with. Tikki looked on sadly as she shut off the computer screen. One day, she reminded herself, one day. 

*****

“What was that!” Marinette shot up from her bed after hearing a loud crash. She rubbed her eyes and checked the time. It was only two am. She let a grown escape before another crash had her eyes opening again. She begrudgingly went to her window. Sure enough, there was a raccoon-looking akuma pushing trash cans over. Seriously? 

“Alright Tikki, let's make this quick. Spots on!” The cold night air helped wake her up. 

She flung her yoyo at the giant raccoon, hoping to knock him out. 

"This guy is waking up half of Paris" Cat Noir joined her. She pushed down her irritation. She could deal with that later. 

"Take the left." She ordered a little tersely as she went right. She knocked the raccoon guy towards the street away from any more cans as Cat Noir landed on his back. She searched for an item that the akuma might be held in as Cat Noir tried to hold on, looking like he was on one of those mechanical bulls. 

"Lucky charm!" She received a banana peel. Great. How on earth- an idea formed. She threw the banana peel on the ground in front of the villain. 

"Cat Noir, the dumpster!" She pointed to the large trash container in question, just a few feet away. 

The villain lost balance and Cat Noir jumped off throwing him into the dumpster, the lid closing on top of him as Cat Noir jumped on top of it. The container rattled. 

"Good job Ladybug. I think the akuma is in his slippers."

"In that case, get ready." 

He leaped off the lid, the villain snarled as it popped out. Ladybug grabbed hold of its slipper and ripped it in two. Cat Noir had been right. A dark akuma flew out. She caught it and deevilized it, watching the raccoon turn into a middle-aged man. 

"What-what happened? Not again! Is Oblivio back?" He asked her. 

Cat Noir walked next to her, handing her the banana peel. "Not Oblivio, no." 

Ladybug threw her lucky charm in the air yelling for her second superpower. The magical ladybugs fixed the ripped slipper. Ladybug picked it up and handed it over.

"Me?" The man looked horrified. 

"Don't worry, everything is back to normal." Cat Noir reassured. 

The man walked away mumbling something about it being the raccoons’ fault. 

Ladybug's earrings beeped. She had four minutes. 

"Pound it." Cat Noir extended his arm to her. She hesitated before extending her own in response. 

Cat Noir eyed her worriedly. "Should we finish our conversation now?"

They hadn't exactly left things amicably. She had a bit of time but she wasn't sure where to start. 

"I'm sorry for teasing you about the kiss and about the lipstick." He smiled sheepishly. "I guess I got a little over-excited but that wasn't very considerate of me. I'll tone it down, I promise."

She smiled at him. That basically covered it. "Thank you. I'm sorry I got so mad before our memory loss." 

He shrugged. "I was being annoying. But I mean lipstick! How could I resist?" 

"I ended up using it to send myself a message in the elevator to call master Fu." 

Cat Noir chuckled. "Makes sense. Good thinking Ladybug. As always." 

She smiled at him in return. She preferred this kinder less flirty side of him. Her earrings beeped again. 

"I should get going." She pulled out her yo-yo. 

Cat Noir reached out to touch her arm. "Can I ask you something before you go?" 

His eyes were so uncertain and filled with worry that she paused. He took that as a yes. 

"I know there's another boy but is there any part of you that likes me that way even a little?" 

Talk about a loaded question. She could imagine the picture of them causing a whole slew of questions in that regard. She hoped he hadn’t gotten his hopes up over it but how to answer his question?

"I see." He took her silence as a no. "Goodnight Ladybug." He turned away. It was her turn to grab his arm. She wasn't sure what to say but she hated seeing him this way. 

"I don't know what happened this afternoon." She started. His eyes watched her intensely. "But you are an amazing guy so with my memories being gone I could see why I would… you know." 

He beamed at her. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea. 

"You asked me once what things would be like if it wasn't for him.”

"You said you couldn't imagine it." He recalled. 

"And I still can't. Obviously something happened between us when I didn’t know about him. But I remember him now and things are different again." 

"I understand Ladybug." He smiled sadly. "Although it kills me to know what could have been if I had met you first."

She wasn't going to mention how she had actually met them on the same day. Her earrings beeped again. Two minutes. She really should be going. 

"Have a goodnight Ladybug." He said smiling at her. 

"Goodnight." He catapulted away. Ladybug swung back towards her house. Transforming back once on her roof. 

"You handled that well Marinette." Tikki smiled at her. Marinette gave her a cookie. She guessed her kwami didn't mean the akuma attack. 

"I hope I didn't give him any false hope." She looked in the direction he had left. He was long gone of course. She headed back into her room, knocking into her desk on the way down, turning the monitor back on. The picture of their kiss was still up. Marinette groaned closing the window and shutting off the computer. 

"You two do look cute together. Maybe you can give him a chance." Tikki voiced quietly. 

Marinette shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair to him Tikki. Besides, my heart won't allow it." Adrien, Luka and now Cat Noir. She couldn’t deal with all this.

"It's late. Let's just go to bed and put this behind us." Marinette climbed into her bed. Tikki followed suit, a sad look on her face. Tikki had acted that way when she had told Cat Noir, as Marinette, that she loved him. 

“Why do you want Cat Noir and I to get together Tikki?” She asked. Tikki rooted for her and Adrien but then had said that Luka’s declaration was the most beautiful one she had ever heard and now these hints about Cat Noir… 

“I never said that.” She looked nervous. 

“Then what do you want?”

“I just want everyone to be happy.” 

Marinette laughed. “Love doesn’t always work that way Tikki.”

“We’ll see.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Tikki was such a hopeless romantic. 

*****  
Adrien wasn’t going to let what Ladybug said discourage him. So the guy she liked was still the main thing standing between them. He’d be patient. And besides, he had been thinking. Maybe it wasn’t Cat Noir she had fallen for. Maybe it had been Adrien. And so maybe he just needed her to get to know his other side. If Cat Noir couldn’t win her over. Maybe Adrien could. The only problem was when on earth were they supposed to ever interact that way? Sure they had met a few times with him as Adrien but it was always around akuma attacks with her saving him. Not quite the setting he needed in order to woo her. Patience, he reminded himself. He knew it was possible now. That had to be enough.


	11. Desperada

Marinette watched the band play with unease in her stomach. As much as she appreciated what Alya had said about the boys not having made a decision yet, she was pretty sure that she had next to zero chance next to Kagami. Kagami with whom Adrien snuck out with, fenced with, held hands with and laughed with. Not to mention how awesome Kagami was. She hadn't hesitated when she tried to take on Desperada as a civilian. Whereas Marinette still struggled to speak normally. Her stupid heart messing up her brain.   
She eyed Luka. She felt so incredibly stupid for not having suggested Luka as the guitarist to Jagged Stone. Luka had taken it well but surely he thought less of her now. And that thought disappointed her.   
Alya had suggested she turn her focus to Luka but Alya didn't understand how impossible that was. Not while there was still Adrien. Wonderful, kind, persevering Adrien who had tried beyond what anyone could possibly expect to save her. Not them, not her and Cat Noir, her _specifically_. 25913 times. Months.   
She watched Adrien carefully. He seemed ok but she could tell he wasn't as energetic as before the akuma attack and that energy was diminishing by the song. He had looked so frustrated and upset when he had handed her back the miraculous. 

Months. She couldn't even imagine. He tried so hard. Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage. She wished she could share his memories.   
She had been so sure that they would make a great team and she had no idea if they had. Adrien seemed to think he wasn't up for the job but surely with how long and hard he had tried they couldn't have been horrible.   
Luka had fit in well though. She wondered how many attempts there had been before the one she remembered. They at least worked well together… 

"My driver is here. Time to head back." Adrien voiced at the end of the song, checking his phone. Kagami nodded and followed him to the door as he said his goodbyes. He looked exhausted. She wasn't even disappointed that he was leaving early. Poor Adrien. She wished there was something she could do. 

"I think I'll head home too." She got up and collected her things. 

"So soon?" Alya asked. 

"Yeah, I still have that assignment to finish and it's getting late. See you tomorrow."

"Have a good evening Marinette." Luka smiled at her, her heart fluttering in response. Stupid heart. 

"Yeah, you too." She waved to her friends. 

"I thought you finished your assignment." Tikki popped her head out once they were walking away from the boat. 

"I have a different mission in mind." Marinette smiled. 

*****  
Adrien happily flopped onto his bed, enjoying how he was slowly sinking into the memory foam and how soft the sheets were. He had missed this. Rest, home. His mind was so tired. It had taken every ounce of mental energy to play with the band. After all the hassle he had gone into making it to the boat instead of his lesson, it seemed like the right thing to do. But eventually, his adrenaline rush subsided and he just wanted to go home. 

How many weeks exactly had gone by without any rest? Sure he was physically refreshed every time he used second chance but the mental weight of so many time loop, so many failures. It was enough to fuel his nightmares for a while, he was sure. He tried not to be jealous that they had needed Luka in the end. And Cat Noir he supposed. His cataclysm was an important part of the plan. 

Sure. Whatever he needed to tell himself. Ladybug herself seemed to flip flop on whether or not they needed Cat Noir. Telling Aspik that they'd be fine without him but Viperion that they would be lost without him. Although that last one was also said so that he, as Cat Noir, could hear. What did she really think?

Adrien sighed. He was being dramatic. She appreciated him and needed him. He knew that. He pushed the worry away, just glad it was all over. He turned on his side so he could watch the sunset. Finally the end of the longest day of his life.

"Are you ok Adrien?" Plagg asked tentatively.

Was he? He felt off. His head felt crowded, trying to process way too many things. 

"26000 resets is… a lot." Plagg continued. 

"I wish I had listened to you sooner Plagg. You were right. Ladybug needed someone else." 

"She needed Cat Noir." 

But she had Cat Noir. She just didn't know it. And he had failed. 

"Why did you try so long?"

Why indeed. It seemed insane now that he thought back on it. Truth be told, It had been fun at first. A chance to get to know his lady as Adrien just as he had hoped. Not that he didn't try to get the job done too but Plagg had a point about his being distracted. Still, what was just five more minutes? One more try? And another and another…

He had flirted, wooed and showered his lady in compliments. Getting more confident with every reset. She was just so much more _receptive_. Despite the situation, she had smiled back, laughed, blushed. And so his half-hearted attempts at defeating Desperada had grown in number. Before he knew it, 10 000 resets had just flown by. He had been frustrated at every failure but a small part of him, he hated to admit it, had enjoyed spending so much time with her. The problem was, besides not defeating the akuma and letting his partner down over and over again of course, was that as he was falling more and more in love with her, she remained the same, forgetting every treasured interaction they shared. He tried to make every one count. Who knew when the successful attempt would be? But eventually, he had to admit Plagg was right. He was getting distracted and needed to focus on the task at hand.

And so he had gone all in, no more trying to woo his lady. She wouldn't remember it anyway. Only even without him actively trying to impress her, she would say something or hold onto him a certain way or simply look at him in a new way. It was maddening not knowing why she was so different with his two personas. That's when his dangerous idea had formed. 

Attempt 14670. He saw what was going to happen. They had under a minute left and Desperada was close. He could have told her to watch out, but instead, he had blurted "I'm Cat Noir!" Her eyes had gone wide before she disappeared in a puff of gold dust. He had reset the clock. 

The following attempts he risked telling her earlier and earlier before they seemed done for but always only if the plan failed. He didn't want to misuse the miraculous after all. Ladybug had trusted him with it and he was desperate to impress her. But then again, if he was so distracted by why she was so different, which side of him she had kissed when they had forgotten who they were, why not just get it over with? Just once. Then he could move on. Focus better.

And so attempt number 19983 happened. He had guided his lady further down the underground tunnels under the guise, away from Desperada.

"Ladybug, I need to tell you something."

"What is it Adrien?" Her eyes twinkled. _Twinkled!_

"The reason Cat Noir isn't here is because-" He had taken a deep breath. "I'm actually Cat Noir." 

Her eyes had gone wide like every other time before she laughed nervously. "Wh-what?"

"I know we seem different but it's true."

She stopped laughing. Eyes questioning, searching.

"I can prove it with a memory no one else knows. The night that Glaciator attacked, I had a surprise for you. A candlelit rooftop but you told me you didn't want to lie to me and that there was another boy. I gave you a red rose, saying-"

"That it went with my costume." She finished, her lips the only thing that had moved. Her face flushed as her breathing grew rapid. 

"C-Cat Noir?" 

"M'lady." He gave her a smile. "I've loved you ever since I laid my eyes on you."

That's when she started hyperventilating. He panicked, taking a step towards her, arm reached out. She tried to take a step back and tripped, shaking. What was happening? 

"Ladybug? What's wrong?" How could he help? 

"A-Adrien? No, it can't be. This isn't real." She pinched herself. 

He didn't understand such a strong reaction. She barely knew Adrien. And yet such… what? Repulsion? Didn’t she trust him? She chose him for the snake miraculous after all. He had no idea why unless… unless she did know him? As her civilian self that was, and trusted him but didn't like him? But then why had she been so receptive to his advances? Nothing was making any sense! 

"Ladybug? What's wrong? Please tell me." He tried to reach out and offer a comforting hand on her shoulder. That only caused her to shake even more violently. "I'll fix this. I'm sorry." 

He never should have used the second chance power that way. He reverted everything back and never revealed himself again. He tried his best then. He really did but eventually, he had to admit that he didn't see a way to win. He was out of ideas and he wasn't at his best anymore. His brain was tired, his heart was in turmoil and even though it was killing him to even think of disappointing Ladybug, he thought a lot about giving up. She just kept getting captured and he just kept failing and failing. Just one more try. And one more and one more...

Attempt 25856. He had voiced out loud for the first time that he didn't think he could do it. She had encouraged him. Saying she must have done something wrong. He hated seeing her disappointed in him. But second-guessing herself? That was worse. He tried again. 

Attempt 25891. He had tried a few ways of telling her he couldn't do it. Every time her eyes and sweetness convinced him to try one more time. And every time he failed. Hearing her gasp or yell as she turned to dust. This was torture. His own self-imposed torture. He just needed to be stronger. Let Ladybug be disappointed in him. 

He wasn't strong enough.

Attempt 25913. They lasted all of 25 seconds. He had been about to get hit and that would have been it. No more snake miraculous and no more Cat Noir in one swoop. Ladybug had jumped in front of him to protect him. To allow him to reset things. No. No more. He was done. It was too risky. This time he would stand firm. He had to be strong enough. For her sake, for Paris. He had been so selfish and stupid. She was more important than his needing to impress her. That thought gave him the strength.

Reset 25914.

Ladybug was explaining the five-minute rule. He took a deep breath. "I can't do this anymore. It's been months!” He said in frustration. Because who cared what he said? She wouldn't remember this. This was to be _his_ goodbye. The way he wished he could end things. He would do it properly in 5 minutes but for now...

"Months?" Ladybug had starred mouth open, eyes worried.

He grabbed both her hands, staring into those kind but worried eyes. "I love you." He kissed her cheek. She stared at him, shocked. "But I can't do this anymore." He pulled her into a hug, soaking in absolutely everything about how she felt. She didn't push him away but she didn't hug him back either. His confession seemingly putting her in shock. He held tight as he reached for his miraculous. Taking a moment to let her smell and her warmth surround him. This is what he wanted to remember. He reset the clock one final time. 

It had been devastating to admit his defeat knowing that it would be the only thing she would remember. He had turned around refusing to let her see how upset it made him. It had been a relief when Luka had shown up. The answer to how to defeat Desperada was suddenly clear and he had hope again. Luka was full of energy. The way he had been at the beginning. Ladybug thankfully agreed that it was the right call. She had kissed him on the cheek and had thanked him. Not only was he free of his prison of time but she wasn't fully disappointed in him after all. Besides, now he knew what worked.   
At least he thought he did. He told the exact same joke. Why did she react so differently just because it was Cat Noir? Maybe one day she'd laugh and smile and her eyes would twinkle at him again. But that day felt far far away. He lifted a hand to the cheek she had kissed. What would it take to feel that again too? 

"Adrien?" Plagg's concerned face was now right in front of him. 

Adrien sat up. Right he hadn't answered Plagg's question about why he had tried for so long. "The wrong reasons Plagg. But don't worry, I've learned my lesson."

Plagg looked like he was about to say something before he zipped into hiding. Why-

A soft knock made him jump. He looked towards the source and couldn't believe his eyes. He rushed to his window, throwing it wide open. 

"Ladybug?” He starred. 

"May I come in?" She smiled shyly at him.

"Of course!” He scrambled to get out of her way. 

"Thanks. How are you?"

He blinked. "Great!"

She stared at him surprised. "You seemed really upset when we parted earlier today."

Did he? Oh right. She meant Adrien. "I was. I mean I was sorry I failed you." 

"I appreciate how hard you tried. Months-" she shook her head. "I hope I didn't push you to try so long."

"No! No, it wasn't you. I just wasn't what you needed." He looked away.

"Your dedication proves I made a good choice even if it didn't work out. Maybe another time." She smiled. It made him weak. How could she think that?

"Why me?” He blurted. Oops. "I mean… you don't really know me and I didn't help in the end today so… why?”

Ladybug looked away, biting her lip. "I've seen you during previous attacks. You protect people, care for them."

Adrien blushed. Out of all the people to notice, she had noticed him. But he had failed her in more ways than one. 

"You shouldn't trust me." He looked away. 

"What? Why not?" Her wide eyes still far too trusting. 

"During those months I- let's just say I abused my power a bit."

"How?” She sounded curious, non-judgemental. 

"I enjoyed getting to know you. I wasn't always on task.”

Ladybug smiled. "I guess months of non-stop fighting side by side would do that."

"You're not mad?"

"I know you tried your best. You couldn't have abused your power that much. Besides, it all worked out in the end."

He wanted to kiss her. "You're amazing."

She blushed. 

"I lo-" He cleared his throat. Careful Adrien, no second chances here. "I really loved working with you."

She smiled, eyes clearly curious before she cleared her throat. "So you're ok then? I was worried about any ill effects."

"I may be in for one of the longest sleep of my life but otherwise yeah." She giggled. "Thanks for checking in on me." He rubbed his neck nervously. Should he invite her to stay longer? Here was another chance for her to get to know him and actually remember it. 

"I should get going. I'm glad you're ok." She kissed him on the cheek again. The invitation was right on his lips as she hoisted herself out his window. The memory of her panic attack held him back. There was clearly something he was missing that he needed to figure out first. 

"You're welcomed anytime." He said instead, offering her a hand up like so many times that day. She gave it a squeeze before letting go. 

"Goodnight Adrien."

"Goodnight Ladybug." He bit his lip from saying anything else like the 'I love you' that was at the tip of his tongue. He watched her figure retreat. Letting out a large sigh. 

"Ugh. I thought we were done with all that." Plagg complained. 

"Maybe not Plagg. Maybe I'll get my second chance after all."

"Oh brother."

*****  
Ladybug landed softly in her room as she called for Tikki to transform her back. 

“Did you see me Tikki! I told you I could be normal around him. I even kissed his cheek. Twice! It’s so soft and did you hear how much he loved getting to know me. I wish I could remember it.” She giggled. 

Tikki gave no reply. 

“Are you ok?”

“You can't give Adrien another miraculous Marinette." Tikki looked to the side, wringing her hands. 

"What? Why?"

"Cat Noir knows his identity. It's risky."

"But I've let Alya and Nino know each other's identities and still give them their miraculous."

"Which is still risky and if you recall when Hawk Moth had his army they both got akumatized."

Marinette rubbed her head. Yes, she remembered that and knew she had to be selective about getting their help but sometimes she just had to take the risks. They knew how to handle their powers better than anyone. "But if it's a different miraculous…" 

"Not to mention Adrien admitted to abusing it." 

Marinette huffed. "Barely. He probably just thinks he did."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you." Marinette immediately regretted the anger in her words. 

Tikki gave her a second to calm down. "Do you think your feelings may be clouding your judgment?"

"Maybe," Marinette allowed. "So what about Luka? Adrien knows his identity."

"Risky as well."

Marinette sighed. Was there anyone she had chosen who didn't have their secret identity known by someone? No. 

"I'll be more careful in the future Tikki."

"I know you will. You're the best Ladybug ever!"

"Even if I mess up like today?"

"But you learn from your mistakes. Really quickly."

Marinette smiled and cupped her hands around her kwami. "Thanks, Tikki." She kissed her head. 

She still thought Tikki had to be wrong about Adrien but maybe her feelings were why he didn't succeed after so many attempts. Maybe it caused him and Cat Noir to clash. She sighed. She would never know. This memory loss thing sucked. First Oblivio and now months spent with Adrien working as a team. Adrien had the memories though. And so maybe one day she'd find out what really happened. She could only hope.


	12. Christmaster

"Hey Alya, I know we said we'd go see a movie but would it be ok if we went Christmas shopping instead?" Nino asked as they left Marinette's bakery. 

"Christmas? But it isn't for months!" Alya said, eyes laughing. 

"I know, but yesterday gave me a bit of early Christmas spirit."

"Ok…" Alya gave him an odd look. "Anything in particular in mind?"

"Actually yeah, I found out yesterday that Ladybug isn't going to get a Christmas gift from Santa this year. She used her gift to get my brother's toy to defeat Chrismaster early since she's apparently the best-behaved kid in the world."

"I guess that makes sense. Was Cat Noir second then?"

"I didn't check. I had asked where I was on the list?"

"Oh? And where are you?"

Nino coughed. "Doesn't matter. The point is Ladybug isn't getting her gift this year."

"So you want to get her one?"

"It was my brother's fault she won't get one after all."

Alta kissed him on the cheek. "That's a very sweet idea. Maybe I'll get something for my favorite superhero too." She winked at him. 

"Oh really?" 

"Yeah, I bet Rena Rouge could really use an extra gift." She laughed and he joined in. Man, he loved this woman. 

*****

Cat Noir eyed Nino and Alya leaving Marinette's place. Nino would no doubt know where his brother Chris was. 

"Hey." He landed in front of them causing them both to jump. "I wanted to check in on how your brother was doing after yesterday." 

"Chris? He's doing fine. He's with his sitter right now." 

"At home?" He had just checked there.

"No my friend's, Marinette."

He was in good hands then but he'd still like to check in on him. He prepared his baton to jump onto her roof. 

"Hey wait, before you go do you know what Ladybug might want as a gift?" Alya asked him. 

"A gift?" Cat Noir blinked. 

"Yeah, Nino wants to get her an early Christmas gift since she gave up her gift from Santa Claws to save his brother." 

She gave up her gift? Well, no wonder she had beaten him to the top of the list. Not that he had been entirely surprised but the best kid in the whole world? Yet another reason he didn't stand a chance with her. 

"That's an awesome idea." He should get her a gift too. The question was what. "We don't talk much about our personal lives. We need to keep our identities secret after all but here's what I've picked up on so far." He proceeded to list anything she had mentioned or hinted at enjoying. Jagged Stone, video games, types of foods… Once they were satisfied with the suggestions he left them to go check on Chris, all the while wondering what he could get her. 

He looked through the window to Marinette's room, smiling when he saw Chris and her play tag. He hadn't visited her as Cat Noir since her deceleration of love. But that was over a month ago now and she was with Luka now. Maybe it would be ok to visit again. He approached and knocked on her trapdoor. She was surprised, to say the least. 

"Cat Noir?" She asked, eyes wide. 

"Hey, I hear you're babysitting my little friend that got akumatized yesterday."

"Hum. Yeah, he's in my room." She didn't move. 

"Mind if I speak with him?" 

"Ok." She back down the steps and he leaped in after her.

"Cat Noir!" Chris ran over to him. 

"Hey big boy," He gave him a hug. "How are you doing?" 

"Are you here to save me?"

"Save you from what?"

"Marinette's icky love stories!" 

He blinked before turning his eyes to Marinette who was blushing but also trying to suppress a laugh. 

"What love story?"

"Nothing interesting! You've checked in on him now. He's doing fine as you can see."

"I just wanted to know what the gifts in her treasure chest were for! Then she starts telling me about the boy she likes." Chris made a face. 

"A boy uh?" He smirked at her. He knew the boy in question was Luka but she didn't know he knew that. Her face grew even redder. "And who might the lucky guy be?"

"She didn’t tell me his name." Chris rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I'm bored. Can we play something else now."

"Sure. Besides, I already know who she likes." He watched Marinette groan in the corner of his eye. He let out a chuckle. "Hey, I remember these!" He picked up the Cat Noir plush toy Marinette had made for Manon. "Give up your miraculous Hawk Moth!" He made the Cat Noir doll walk right up to Chris. 

"You play with dolls?" Chris' eyes went wide. 

"Sure, why not?" He made the doll do a dance.

"But they're for babies!"

"Says who?" He made the doll lift his right hand. "Cataclysm!" His real right hand tingled as it always did when he used his superpowers. "Oups."

"Woah! Cool!" Chris' eyes went wide as he watched the black magic swirl around his hand.

Marinette rolled her eyes and gave him a kleenex to destroy. 

"Sorry." He said, grabbing it and turning it into dust. 

"Well, I guess visiting time is over." She grabbed the doll back, giving it to Chris who was touching the disintegrated kleenex.

"Right. Well, I'm glad you're doing ok Chris. No weird nightmares or anything?" Cat Noir stood straight again. 

"I dreamt I was being chased by a giant toaster a week ago." He made the Cat Noir doll do a kick. 

Cat Noir laughed. "Punch them for me next time." 

"Ok." He made the doll do a flip. 

"So what's this about a bunch of gifts for me?" He turned to Marinette. 

"What?" She jumped eyeing her treasure chest worriedly. 

He opened it before she could lunge to stop him, surprised to see what had to be over a dozen gifts. Woah, Luka was a lucky guy. 

Marinette slammed it shut. "They aren't for you." 

"Replaced me already have you?" He smirked but regretted it when she looked away guiltily. He didn't want her to feel bad about moving on. "I'm glad you're happy. He's a lucky guy."

"They aren't all for him either!" She blushed, nervously playing with her hands. "I like to get an early start since I make all my gifts by hand."

"You do?" He remembered the Santa hat she had made him for last Christmas. Maybe one of these gifts was for him after all. 

His ring beeped. He really should get going. 

"Enjoy the rest of your day." He gave a small bow and left. 

*****

Marinette let out a slow breath when Cat Noir finally left. He was way too curious for his own good. But crisis averted, he hadn't noticed the names on the gifts, at least she hoped not. An early start to Christmas gifts. Why hadn't she just told Chris that the other day? It would have avoided a lot. 

"Cataclysm!" Chris yelled as he slammed the Cat Noir doll to the floor, hand first. Marinette smiled. At least Cat Noir's visit had been good for something. She picked up her Ladybug doll and joined in the fun.


	13. Startrain

“You’re the best Alya!” Marinette giggled as she straitened herself back in her seat, clutching at her friend’s phone still showing the picture of her and Adrien sleeping. She had been so sure she had dreamt that part. In her hands was the visual proof that she had indeed fallen asleep on his shoulder and that he had then fallen asleep on her. She sighed as she emailed herself the picture. Definitely one worth printing. 

Alya laughed as she took her phone back. “I already sent it to you but ok.” She laughed again. 

“You really are the best.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” She whispered conspiratorily. “Lila was going to wake you up to ask for help with her nausea. But I got you covered.” She beamed. 

Marinette refrained from rolling her eyes as she glanced at Lila in the corner of her eye. She seemed pretty annoyed. Marinette allowed a small smile. Maybe Alya was friends with Lila but Alya was Marinette’s best friend. 

“But that’s not all! Check these out!” Alya showed her more pictures she had taken during the akuma attack only it was all shots of space as taken from inside the star train. It really was crazy that they had been in space. 

“What an awesome day! How were things from the other car?” 

“People were pretty scared, especially those heading back to London that aren’t used to akumas.” She was pulling from the reactions she had overheard from the other passengers before they had boarded again. Plausible enough. 

Alya laughed. “Yeah, wild ride for everyone. Were you in Adrien’s car? We lost him near the beginning too.” 

They had? “I didn’t see him.” She answered honestly. 

“Well, it was pretty crowded. Chloe complained the whole time in ours.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe she’s still after her miraculous.”

Marinette was worried about that. They had talked about this. She had been clear and yet there was Cat Noir bringing her hopes up by saying that if they had known she was on the train, they would have. A big lie. She was a little frustrated. He had been the one to push her to be honest with Chloe in the first place. Besides, she had one hundred percent planned on using the horse miraculous to bring Cat Noir onto the train, no one else. She had needed him. Lucky for her, he had already been on the train, her eyes wandered over the other people in the car. Maybe he still was. He had been heading over to London for some reason initially after all. 

“Seems a little silly to go through with the field trip now. We already saw Big Ben.” 

“Better this than class.” Marinette leaned back, her adrenaline was finally subsiding and her earlier exhaustion was coming back. 

Alya gave her a smile. “You really didn’t sleep at all, did you? I’ll let you rest while I work on my next blog post.” She settled back as well, fully focused on her phone. 

Marinette leaned against the window. It wasn’t as warm and soft as Adrien’s shoulder but it would do. She fell asleep with a smile on her face. 

*****  
“I can’t believe you purposely misled me, Adrien.” Adrien’s father said sternly. Adrien looked at the floor, he had really hoped nobody would have found out about his little adventure. If only it hadn’t been for that akuma attack…

“I hope now you see the danger of disobeying me. I could have lost you forever. Had I known you were on the train-” His father didn’t finish his sentence. “You’re grounded for two weeks. You are not to leave this house outside of strick school hours and your lessons.”

“Yes, father.” Two weeks wasn’t that bad, especially with a way out of the house. He was about to leave when his father put a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up.

“I am glad you’re safe Adrien. I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”

Adrien gave a small smile. He understood his father’s protectiveness. He just wished his father would be more reasonable about what was dangerous and what wasn’t. Not that he could really argue that now. What should have been an innocent trip to London had turned out quite dangerous. Thankfully Ladybug had found a way to join him. He had been really nervous at the thought of needing to fight Startrain on his own. It had been a large relief when she had shown up. 

“Now go on, you still have your Mandarin lesson to complete.”

Adrien nodded and went to his room, relieved that the conversation was over. He lay on the bed, pulling out his earphones. He would have to listen to lesson 3 again since he had fallen asleep on the train right after having started it, Marinette offering the perfect pillow. He hoped she hadn’t minded. It was very much by accident that she had ended up falling asleep on him after all and she usually avoided touching him, getting very jumpy if he got too close. He wondered why she had been so tired. His exhaustion was the result of the previous night’s akuma attack. Hawk Moth really wasn’t letting them get a break. He probably shouldn’t have risked going to London. It seemed safe enough at the time but clearly Hawk Moth was out to get them a little more than usual. 

He sighed. He had been surprised when Ladybug hadn’t said anything about his leaving town. Then again she hadn’t had much time. Once they were back on Earth and she had gotten the horse miraculous back, her earings had beeped indicating that she had less than a minute left. She had immediately swung away and he had brought Max back to their class before transforming back in a washroom. Maybe he should talk to her about it. She was no doubt as tired as he was but maybe if he requested they met up she’d be up for it. 

“Plagg claws out!” He’d leave a message and hope she would show up. 

*****  
Ladybug tapped her foot impatiently. A scowl on her face. He was late. And with every second he was late, her irritation grew. She was tired. Her naps on the train barely offering the rest she desperately needed. If he didn't show up in the next minute, she’d-

"Good evening m'lady." A soft thud accompanied the words behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know he'd be smirking. She whirled on him, scowl still in place. His smirk quickly morphed into a look of surprise. 

"Are you ok?" He asked, reaching for her. It almost softened her mood. Almost. She crossed her arms and tilted her body away from his arm. He pulled back as if she had burned him. It was that that made her words calm instead of a shout. Calm but cold.

"This better be important.”

He looked away, downcast. “I know you must be mad at me for today I was hoping we could talk about it.”

"Today?” She let her arms fall to her sides. “You mean with Chloe?” She had wanted to talk about it sure but it could have waited until they both had gotten more sleep. 

“Chloe?” He looked surprised. 

“Yeah, about telling her we would have brought her her miraculous when you know very well not to raise her hopes like that.” She eyed him suspiciously. What was he talking about then?

“Oh right, that.” He worried at his neck. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have said that. Especially since I was the one who kept telling you to be honest with her. She had just caught me off guard.”

Ladybug sighed. She had figured as much. “It doesn’t matter that much. Just the fact that she was expecting her miraculous tells me she didn’t really get my message last time we spoke.” She let out a slow breath. That was a problem for another day. If Chloe wasn’t going to listen to her then so be it. 

“So what did you want to meet up about then?” She asked. 

"I wanted to talk about my already being on that train.”

She blinked. 

"I thought it would be ok. Hawk Moth had just attacked the night before.” He let out a sigh. “I just wanted a day off you know, a vacation away from everything.” He looked down.

Ladybug put her hand on his arm. Of course her Kitty would be just as tired as she was. “I know what you mean. We don’t really get a break.” She had just had a small vacation that day herself. Not that it had been that relaxing, she had been on edge the whole time but at least she got away from it enough to have a bit of fun. 

“You’re not mad?” He looked up at her in surprise. 

Should she be? She knew that he was in London while she was there after all. She would have found him and brought him back with her if need be. But if it wasn’t for today’s attack then she wouldn’t have known he was in London. 

“I mean I know I’ve left before for a whole weekend and it was fine but today made me realize-”

Ladybug gaped at him. “You what?” She yelled. 

Cat Noir raised his hands, leaning back. “It was right after Timebreaker.”

“And did you have a plan to come back if I needed you?” He was right. She was mad. 

“Well, I figured with all the other superheroes, it wouldn’t be that big of a-”

“Of course it’s a big deal!” She massaged her temple. “I need you Cat Noir.”

"That's not what you told Aspik." He mumbled under his breath, looking away. 

"Who?" Ladybug asked confused. 

Cat Noir sighed. "Adrien, when you gave him the snake miraculous before giving it to L- the new guy."

Ladybug blinked. "What are you talking about?" 

"I checked in on him after the whole ordeal. He let slip that you mentioned during some of the resets that you didn't need me."

"W-what?" That was impossible. Of course she needed him. "He must have misunderstood. You’re invaluable. Our team would be nothing without you." 

Cat Noir gave her a soft smile. "Yeah, he said you said that too but-"

"No buts. I don't know what I said or Adrien thinks I said but I've always trusted you'd come through for me when it really counts. I rely on you. You can't just leave me without letting me know first!" She hated how her eyes were getting teary. She was so tired. 

Cat Noir's ears drooped. "You're right. I should have told you.” 

“That’s the solution.” Ladybug smiled. “Next time you leave Paris just let me know first. That way I can come get you during an akuma attack with the horse miraculous if need be.”

“Wouldn’t that give you a hint about my identity?” He blinked. 

Ladybug thought about it. “As you said today, hundreds of people travel every day. You’re a cat in a haystack.” She hadn’t noticed him on the train or at the debarkation after all. It should be fine. 

"What about you m’lady? Do you ever leave?" He asked her, looking concerned. 

She allowed a small smile. "Once." She paused. "Today when I went to space. I couldn't really enjoy it though."

Cat Noir chuckled. "Not sure what Hawk Moth was trying to do there." 

"Master Fu says he has a limited range. He must have lost control once the akuma was too far away."

"Well that's scary." 

"Yeah." She wasn't sure which was worse. An akuma under Hawk Moth's control or free to do whatever they wanted. "But we fixed it in the end." 

He chuckled. "As always. So are we good?" 

"Yeah, we’re good.”

Cat Noir grinned. "Good. Now that that’s over with," He offered her hand. "I want to show you something." 

She eyed him suspiciously. "What?" 

He shrugged and dropped his hand. "If you want to know then you'll have to follow me." He leaped away. 

Ladybug rolled her eyes but smiled. She was already sleep-deprived. What would staying out a bit longer do? She followed him to a roof overlooking the Eiffel tower. She walked past him to make her way to the edge but he gently grabbed her arm. 

"No, stay back here." 

"But you can't see the streets from here." 

"Exactly." He smirked taking a step forward to be next to her and sat down. 

Ladybug hesitated before following suit. They both faced forward, the lights of the city and the sound of traffic slowly pulling her into a more relaxed state. 

"You deserve to take a step back once in a while and enjoy the city you save." He turned his head to face her.

She blushed and kept her gaze ahead. 

"You shouldn't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders every moment." He wrapped an arm around her. "Let them rest." He moved closer to her and she let her head fall on his shoulder, closing her eyes. 

"What if-" He lifted a finger to her lips.

"I'll keep a lookout." 

His shoulder was surprisingly comfortable considering his suit. His warmth further helped her relax. Before she knew it, she was drifting off to sleep.

*****  
Cat Noir didn't dare move. Sure his arm was getting a little stiff but it could suck it up because he was touching Ladybug. Ladybug who was breathing softly and had fallen asleep far faster than he imagined possible. She was obviously exhausted. His poor lady deserved all the rest in the world. He hummed a calming tune he couldn’t remember the source of. Maybe he had played it on the piano once or maybe he had simply heard it in passing. 

“Little kitty on a roof, caring for his tired lady.” He sang the made-up lyrics softly before humming some more. It had potential. 

He rested his head against hers, surprised at how familiar and right it felt. She was the perfect height just as Marinette had been to rest on and both their heads fit perfectly on his shoulder. Their hair- Cat Noir abruptly stopped his train of thought. Why was he comparing the two? Ladybug shifted slightly, the soft sigh of content escaping her lips making him purr. Hawk Moth had better not pick this moment to akumatize someone. He was in heaven.

“Little kitty on a roof, enjoying life with his lady.” He sang, smiling to himself.


	14. Kwami Buster

Cat Noir left his science teacher at the front of the school before catapulting away and doubling back to the other side of the building. Leaping into a washroom, he transformed back after ensuring it was empty. 

"I guess you were right Plagg." He gave his kwami his typical snack. "Marinette isn't Ladybug." He fought back his disappointment. Marinette was one of his closest friends and when he had thought earlier that she might be Ladybug, he had felt a mix of excitement and surprise at not only having maybe figured it out but that Ladybug was none other than his amazing friend Marinette. This had been immediately followed by dread at having maybe figured it out. It was rule number one that they _not_ know each other's identities. Otherwise they would have to give up their miraculous. He had therefore latched onto Plagg's reply like a lifeboat. 

Only his brain hadn’t wanted to let it go. 

It just seemed like such a natural fit. Marinette and Ladybug had a fair amount in common and not just in terms of appearance. They were both brilliant, selfless, good, clever... the list was endless. He had even called her their everyday Ladybug because of how much she reminded him of his lady sometimes.   
And then there was the fact that Marinette was rarely around during akuma attacks, leaving class when he did...  
But then other stuff didn't make sense. Like how much more confident and teasing Ladybug was. Or that whole brunch date fiasco after she had confessed to loving him when Ladybug had always been very clear about liking someone else. And yet what if Marinette _was_ Ladybug? What if it had been a test and he had failed and he had missed his shot with her? With _Ladybug_. Who was dating Luka now? Jealousy, uncertainty, embarrassment.   
He acted in front of Marinette very differently as Cat Noir than Adrien. When he had finally met up with Ladybug he couldn't bring himself to flirt with her as he would typically try to weave in. Not if she was Marinette. His friend. His very unavailable friend who maybe he had feelings for after all? 

He had focused on the fight and when Ladybug had gotten her kwami taken from her it had taken every ounce of self-control to not look down. If he had looked, it would be the end and he didn't want it to end. He had given her a diversion instead and it must have worked because she somehow managed to get a miraculous to Marinette.   
He had been surprised when Multimouse had denied being Ladybug. She had just seemed so Ladybug-like. In fact, he had suspected she was lying and was actually Ladybug until he had seen them side by side. Then of course Multimouse had transformed back into Marinette and broke that disillusion.

He had been wrong. 

Ladybug wasn't Marinette which carried relief that they wouldn’t have to give back their miraculous but disappointment at having not found his lady after all.  
They looked so very very similar. Maybe they were related. He didn't know if Marinette had any cousins. His own cousin Felix looked a lot like him. Maybe it was the same for Marinette and Ladybug. He shouldn't think about it anymore. Ladybug's identity had to be secret until she wanted to tell him. As difficult as it was, he tried to push the suspicion away and headed to class where he tried very hard to focus on the science questions in front of him. Something that became ten times more difficult when Marinette finally joined the class again. 

Adrien looked up, wondering what her thoughts were. She had a subtle smile on her face but he wondered if she was sad that she wouldn't be able to be Multimouse again. She had been remarkably adept at the whole superhero thing. She had single-handedly taken down the supervillain after all. In a manner of speaking anyway, there had been many of her but the sentiment stood. It really was a shame to lose her as a teammate. So what if he knew her identity? It was only him. He had known about Chloe and they had gotten her help on two occasions after she had told everyone _ her_ identity so maybe there would be exceptions for Marinette as well. 

He looked behind him to see her working away at the questions, her lips pursed in a cute way as she focused. How did she act so normal? What was going on inside of her head? 

She must have felt his starring because she looked up, her face changing into one of surprise. He smiled at her in slight embarrassment before turning back to face his own worksheet. 

Adrien couldn't ask her about her experience but Cat Noir could. He smirked as he focused on his work. 

*****  
Marinette hummed as she finished her homework. Tikki was sitting on her shoulder. It had been such a relief to get her back. It had felt wrong to be without her. 

"Don't give up Marinette, you're almost done!" Her kwami brought her attention back to her homework. What would she do without her? Marinette put her pencil down and hugged her kwami, making her giggle. 

"What was that for?" 

"I missed you earlier today. I'm glad I got you back."

Tikki flew in front of her, her eyes shining as they so often did. "I missed you too but I knew you would save us." 

Marinette smiled at how Tikki had voiced the same thing to Plagg when she had met up with them. It had been her most elaborate plan yet. So many things could have gone wrong but thankfully it had worked out perfectly. The hardest part, she had thought, would be finding Cat Noir and convincing him to let Plagg get captured. As it turned out, he already had and thankfully he had found a banana costume to disguise himself with. It was good timing too since he had been about to be unmasked by Kwamibuster. If she hadn't shown up when she had he might have lost his miraculous and that would have been the end of not only her plan but her Cat Noir too. 

Thankfully, not only had she saved the kwamis but she had managed to throw suspicion off herself as well. Turns out she had worried for nothing. Cat Noir didn't even go to her school afterall. She couldn't believe Plagg would be so far from his owner but it had happened before…

A knock above her made her jump out of her reminiscing. That had happened only once before… she opened her trap door, not surprised but still perplexed at seeing Cat Noir on her roof. 

"Cat Noir, what are you doing here?” She asked, pulling herself out of the trap door onto the balcony. 

“Just thought I’d check-in and make sure you were doing ok after today.” He offered her a helping hand up.

“Why wouldn’t I be ok?” She asked nervously. Had he figured it out after all?

“It’s not every day you get to be a superhero and have to keep quiet about it.” He smiled at her. 

“Oh well, it was really amazing. Too bad Ladybug will never trust me again.” Marinette said awkwardly. 

Cat Noir gave her a sympathetic look. “Maybe. She’s given Chloe her miraculous a few times and she told all of Paris that she was Queen Bee. You did an amazing job as Multimouse. It would be a real shame not to ever have you be part of our team again. You’re a real natural. You took care of that akuma practically on your own and under the 5 minute limit of your superpower too! That’s really impressive.” 

Marinette couldn’t help but blush at how proud he seemed of her but she also knew full well that Ladybug wouldn’t give her a miraculous again and that the only reason she looked like such a natural was because she had developed it for almost a year now.

“I don’t know, she seemed pretty strict about it today when I messed up.”

Cat Noir waved his hand in dismissal. “Well maybe I can convince her otherwise. I’m the only one that found out your secret identity and I know some of the other’s as well.”

“You do?” She asked, fully surprised by this. The only one she had told him about was Adrien. “Who else-”

“I can’t say obviously but my point is you never know.”

“Right. Maybe.” She allowed, it would end the conversation at least. Cat Noir gave her a bright smile. 

“So, do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about it?”

“Your first time being a superhero.”

“Oh right. I guess so.”

“The super agility and strength are pretty awesome right.”

Marinette giggled. He seemed like he wanted to talk about it more than her. “It was and my superpower felt pretty strange, being small like that but in many places.”

“Yeah, how did that work exactly?” He asked curiously, his tail flicking. 

“I’m not entirely sure. I have all the memories of the different versions of myself and in them I see the other versions of me and I know they happened at the same time but the memories are separate you know?” She tried to explain. “But in the moment, I felt split into dozens of pieces, jumping from one main me to another but still living all of them. Does that make sense?”

“Not at all but it sounds cool. How did it feel to be so small?”

Marinette giggled. “Slow and vulnerable.” She rubbed at her arms nervously. It had been unpleasant to be smaller than the kwamis. Not that she was afraid they would hurt her or anything. It’s more like she felt like anything could squash her. 

Cat Noir gave her a small smile and looked away, probably sensing her discomfort. 

“Well Ladybug made the right call in asking for your help. How did she do it?”

“Uh?”

“She had lost her kwami which meant she was a civilian when she approached you right? How did she keep her identity secret?” 

“Oh, uh,” Shoot, she hadn’t thought up of a lie for that part. “Ladybug wasn’t the one to deliver the miraculous. This elderly Asian man did on her behalf.” Technically true.

Cat Noir smiled. “I think I know who you’re talking about. He gave me my miraculous as well.” 

“What was that like for you?” She asked. Grateful to switch the conversation to talk about him instead. 

“Incredible.” He smiled, eyes focused on a memory. “Free. It's also the day I fell in love with Ladybug.

"It is?" Marinette's eyes went wide. 

"We both made mistakes that day but Ladybug put a lot of pressure on herself. She shared her insecurities with me. She trusted me that much already but then she did something outstanding. She stepped up to the plate and faced down Hawk Moth and told Paris not to fear." Cat Noir smiled, eyes unfocused. "My heart has been hers ever since."

Marinette looked to the ground in an attempt to hide her blush. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to talk so much. I don't get to talk about Ladybug that way to anyone but my kwami and he's not exactly the most interested."

Marinette giggled, imagining Plagg putting up with her lovesick partner day after day. 

"So you've been in love with her for almost a year?" That's how long she's been in love with Adrien for. Nearly one year and she still hadn't told him how she felt.

"I guess so." He smiled. "It's gone by so fast." Marinette wondered what memory had him blushing. “Anyway, I hope you get to be Multimouse again. I’ll talk to Ladybug about it.”

“Oh uh, you don’t have to, really.”

“Don’t worry about it. We could really use someone amazing like you.”

She blushed again. “But I’m a really clumsy person, I’d no doubt mess things up.”

“That’s what Ladybug said on her first day.” He smiled at her. “Besides, you didn’t seem clumsy to me.” He encouraged. “No harm in asking right?”

“Right.” She’d have to come up with some kind of explanation as to why she couldn't. 

“I'm glad you’re doing ok. Have a good night Multimouse.” He winked at her. “I’ll put in that good word for you.” He catapulted away. 

She watched him leave, a warm feeling in her heart. 

“That Cat is full of surprises uh Tikki?”

Her kwami hummed in agreement. 

“Come on, I need to finish my homework.” She headed back to her desk a little bit lighter.


	15. Feast

Adrien woke up to an empty pillow and shot up from his bed. 

"Plagg!?" He frantically looked around him. 

"Yeah?" Plagg replied from inside his trash can, poking his head from the rim. 

Adrien took a deep breath before scooping his kwami up and giving him a hug. Plagg didn't complain and let him hug him longer than usual. 

"It's alright Adrien, I'm not going anywhere."

Adrien released him, it wasn't Plagg leaving that he was worried about. It was him being taken away that did. First with Kwami Buster and then again the previous day. He was still angry at Master Fu for taking him.

"The Master was only trying to protect you," Plagg said, no doubt picking up on his sour mood. 

"Yeah, I know." He had said as much in that stupid letter. Master Fu couldn't even transform into a superhero what had his plan even been? If he hadn't changed his mind and given them their miraculous back it would have been the end for sure. 

"Do you know where he lives?" Adrien asked. 

"Why?" Plagg asked, wringing his hands. 

"Just to talk about yesterday." 

"That's not a good idea, Hawk Moth knows who he is and besides, I'm sure Ladybug would have given him an earful." He gave an awkward laugh. 

Ladybug knew where he lived. Ladybug probably had answers. Hopefully she'd be willing to share them. He got ready for the day all while thinking about when he could ask her about it. 

"Adrien, breakfast is ready," Nathalie called from the hall. 

"Come on Plagg." It was a comfort to feel him close to his chest again. He didn't know what he'd do without him. He had quickly become his best friend. The only being he could talk about everything with. 

Adrien entered the dining room that was set for just him again. 

"Father won't be eating with me I guess." 

"He has an important new project he needs to work on." 

Of course he did. 

"Are you feeling better today?" She seemed exhausted. 

She gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry about me Adrien, everything will be fine. Eat up, you have a few hours before fencing." She left him alone. 

Adrien picked at his meal not very hungry when his phone buzzed. He really hoped it wasn't another akuma. He took a bite of his omelet as he pulled his phone out. It was just a notification about a new post on the ladyblog. He opened it and was surprised to see a picture of a temple that had appeared overnight. 

"Plagg? Do you know anything about this?" 

Plagg popped his head out of his shirt and gasped. 

"That's the temple of the guardians! They're back!" He was practically vibrating with excitement. 

"What does it mean?" 

"Squint, Yurt, Pally, Duns… they must be ok too!" 

He had never seen Plagg so emotional except for cheese. 

"And that would be…"

"Other kwamis, old friends you could say."

"I thought the other kwamis were here in Paris." That's how Ladybug got the other superheroes, wasn’t it?

"Some are but most of them were- well they had gone away. We should go find Ladybug."

Adrien had been planning on it but he was surprised to hear Plagg suggest it. 

"Ask her if Master Fu plans on going to Tibet." Plagg continued.

"Uh ok." He wolfed down a few more bites of his breakfast. He only had a few hours. Hopefully, she'd be out and about. 

*****  
Marinette watched as Master Fu drove away, waiting until he was out of sight before heading back home. 

"I'm so proud of you Marinette, I knew you would be the next guardian."

Marinette giggled. "One day in the far future maybe." She couldn't imagine her being in charge of all the miraculous. She didn't even know what that would mean. She gripped her phone tighter. It had a copy of the translated grimoire on it now. She had been told to read it all without Tikki. She had a tablet at home she could put the copy on instead and keep locked up with her diary. It felt dangerous to have it on her phone out in the open. 

"Hey, Princess. You're up and about early." Cat Noir landed in front of her, making her jump. 

"Cat Noir, what are you doing here?" She tried her best to stay calm. Tikki had hidden pretty quickly hopefully he hadn't seen her. 

"I'm looking for Ladybug actually but then I spotted you. Everything ok? You looked tense." 

She pocketed her phone. Ok, maybe she was a little nervous. "Yeah, everything's great." She smiled. "Just clearing my head with a walk. I have a lot of work to do this week." Did she ever. Her usual homework, Ladybug duties and she had a meeting to go to as class president on Monday and now she was a master in training. She also had kitty section t-shirts to design and make as well as that Jagged Stone poster for next week. How was she going to get it all done? "Hum, why were you looking for Ladybug?" 

"I guess I can tell you since you know about kwamis." He smirked at her. "Mine actually has a question for her." 

"Oh?" That wasn't at all what she expected. 

"I'll be able to throw in that good word for you too hopefully." 

"Right, well don't let me keep you!"

"Need a lift home before I go?" 

"No, that's ok, it's a short walk."

"Alright, hope you get that work done and can relax a bit." He waved goodbye and catapulted away. 

"I wonder what Plagg wants to know."

Tikki popped her head out. "Only one way to find out." 

It looks like she had one more thing to add to her to-do list. She ran into a narrow alley to transform and headed in the general direction she had seen Cat Noir go. The idea of sneaking up on him putting a smile on her lips. She spotted him a few roofs over and circled around so she could land right in front of him. 

"Hey Kitty." She landed gracefully, causing him to skid to a stop with a stunned look on his face. "You're out a little early."

"I was looking for you actually." He gave her his trademark smirk. 

"Hmm, lucky for you you found me." 

"Lucky indeed. I thought that after last night you might sleep in on this fine Saturday." 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "I haven't slept-in in forever."

"I suppose it is just business as usual."

"Almost. No banana costume today?"

"Ahah. Not all of us have a motorcycle costume." He eyed her curiously. "Do you ride one?" 

With her grandmother. "Somehow I doubt this is why you were looking for me." 

He smiled, seeming unsurprised at her change of topic. 

"My kwami had a question for you actually. Have you seen Master Fu since last night?"

"I have…"

"Have you both seen this?" He pulled up the ladyblog on his staff with an article about the temple. 

"Yes, we brought it back after defeating yesterday's sentimonster, it had caused the temple's destruction over 100 years ago."

"Plagg got all excited over some kwamis that would be back now too. He was wondering when Master Fu was going to go visit the temple."

Other kwamis. Of course, Master Fu had said he had left with the last box, not the only one. "Not anytime soon. He's going into hiding but needs to stick around as our Guardian." Poor Master Fu. His life really was on hold indefinitely now. They needed to defeat Hawk Moth fast. 

"Where will he go?" 

"He wouldn't tell me. Just that he'll be there for us when we need him."

"I hope he's ok."

"He's resourceful and he has Wayzz and the others. He'll be ok." 

Cat Noir nodded. "Hey there's something else I've been meaning to talk to you about. It's about Marinette." 

Ladybug's heart sped up. She had not been looking forward to this conversation. She couldn't afford a slip-up. "What about her?" 

"It just doesn't seem fair to not consider her for a miraculous again. She was a natural! Better than any of the others. You should give her a second chance."

"As I've explained to Marinette, it's too risky."

"That didn't stop you from using Chloe. Or telling me you were going to give Adrien the snake miraculous."

She had been ready for this. "I've made mistakes." She answered. "I shouldn't have told you that and as you know Chloe won't ever get a miraculous again either."

Cat Noir sighed. "But-"

"Look, maybe in emergencies, we'll break some of the rules." He allowed. "But don't get her hopes up."

"You have my word m'lady." He smiled excitedly. 

Ladybug laughed. "Don't get your hopes up either!"

"I'm not! Emergencies only."

"Maybe."

"Maybe. She'd be great though! Marinette's amazing but you already know that."

Ladybug hoped he didn't pick up on her blush. "Was there anything else?"

Cat Noir hesitated. 

"What is it?" 

"Did- will Master Fu try yesterday's stunt again?" 

She could tell he was tense. At least she had known Fu was worried about their miraculous. Cat Noir had had no idea. 

"I don't think so. He's training me to be the next guardian." 

"The next-" His face brightened. "So that's why he's been talking to you only! It makes so much sense. You'll be great!"

His mood was so sincere and relieved that she couldn't help but smile at him. She wondered how long he was carrying that around for. 

“Thanks.” She replied awkwardly. It wouldn’t be for a long time she reminded herself. “I better go. I have a lot to do today. Guardian homework you might call it.”

Cat Noir laughed. “I have a busy schedule as well. I’ll see you around m’lady.”

“Hopefully not too soon.” She teased before swinging away. She would have liked to stay and chat longer but her to-do list really was becoming far too overwhelming. She had some planning and scheduling to do.


	16. Gamer 2.0

Ladybug sighed contently as she tapped her fingers to the song stuck in her head as she watched the traffic around the Eiffel tower slowly diminishing along with the daylight.   
She had done it. She had accomplished all the things on her to-do list that afternoon despite the akuma attack and also her video game break. There was still some homework and she had more of the grimoire to read but her life was back down to manageable. Her friends being busy, she opted for an evening alone. She didn’t often go out as Ladybug to simply enjoy the view but ever since Cat Noir had shown her this spot, she had been wanting to visit it again.   
She took a few steps back to sit where he had told her about that first visit, far enough that the traffic was hidden, she bumped into a soft warm body making her jump and ruining her state of relaxation. She spun around, all tension leaving when she realized who it was. Of course. Who else would be able to sneak up on her?

“And how long have you been standing there?” She crossed her arms. 

Cat Noir chuckled. “Not long, I’m no stalker.” He sat down. “Actually, I was just coming here to clear my head and was surprised to see you.” She sat down next to him. “I’m guessing you came to do the same.”

“Actually, I came here to relax.”

“Really?”

“No need to be so surprised.”

“Well given how stressed you were earlier today…”

“I wasn’t stressed.” She immediately denied. “Just-” Busy seemed inadequate. 

“Overwhelmed?” He offered.

She sighed. “Yeah.”

“Is your guardian training more work than you thought?” 

“It’s not that.” Although she never would have fallen so far behind on her other stuff if she hadn’t been reading the grimoire every other evening. “I have a hard time saying no sometimes. I put too much on my plate.” She really did need to work on that more. She had done well when she had told no to Max. It had been hard for her on many levels. Then again as she learned she had needed a break. She would have to be more selective about her nos. 

“Something we have in common apparently.” 

“You? Really?” She asked surprised. She couldn’t imagine her forward strong partner having a hard time saying no to someone. 

Cat Noir shrugged. “To certain people anyway. I feel like I can’t say no and hence, full plate. Half of which is broccoli.”

Ladybug giggled. “And broccoli is a metaphor for…”

“The things that are good for me but aren’t my favorite things.” 

“Hmm, at least my plate is full of things I enjoy. Mostly.” 

“But then everything else on the plate makes it less enjoyable.”

“Yeah.” She used to love designing things. Now that it was becoming more serious and less of a hobby, part of the fun was taken away. Is this what working would feel like? 

“I enjoyed today though. It was a welcomed fun break in my otherwise busy day.”

Ladybug scoffed. “Oh, you think sacrificing yourself and leaving me alone is fun do you?”

Cat Noir gaped at her. “Ok, maybe not that part but before that.” They were quiet for a heartbeat. “Did it really bother you?”

Ladybug focused on the view in front of her, refusing to let him see how much it had. She did her best to shrug. “I’ve worked things out on my own before and I did again today.”

“I’m sorry I had to do it.”

Ladybug laughed. “You’re sorry? You’re the one that got-” What had happened to him?

“I knew you would bring me back.” 

“With your help.”

He eyed her curiously. 

“I took your advice and took my time.”

“Really?” He smiled. 

“Yeah, and I also made sure to include things I love in my normal day like you mentioned.”

His blank stare told her he wasn’t sure what she meant. 

“When I asked you how you balance your normal life and being a superhero you said your favorite moments were being a superhero. I added more fun to my normal life today as a result.” And it felt really good. She had still managed to get everything done. Perhaps she could find a balance after all. 

“I’m glad what I said helped but my favorite moments aren’t when I’m a superhero. They’re when I’m with you specifically. Which granted is mostly when I’m also a superhero.”

Mostly?

“You get me through my bad days m’lady. Aside from Plagg, you’re my closest friend.”

“You’re one of my closest friends too.” She smiled at him and he beamed at her. They sat in silence, enjoying the view and the sounds of the city. 

“So what did you come to clear your head about?” She eventually asked. 

Cat Noir sighed. “Home stuff,” he paused, probably deciding how much to share with her. “Someone important to me has been getting sick.” 

“Is it serious?” Ladybug asked, unsure of how to help.

Cat Noir shrugged. “They tell me it isn’t but-” He hesitated, collecting his thoughts again. “But it doesn’t seem like nothing.” He sat straighter. “So I just wanted to get away, finding you was a bonus.” He nudged her. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it. “Want to race to the top of the Eiffel tower?”

She smiled at him. Whatever would help him. “Is it really a contest if we already know I’ll win?” She teased. 

He laughed. “Oh yeah? We’ll see about that.” He raced off. She laughed as she easily caught up. She would never admit it to him but their time together was some of her best moments too.


	17. Stormy Weather 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while. I was having a hard time getting motivated to continue the series but inspiration is flowing again!  
Guys... it's a long hiatus.

Adrien pushed away his disappointment. It was for the best that Marinette didn't love him. He loved Ladybug and, as he had told Plagg, she was who his heart wanted. But for half an hour back when they had fought Kwami Buster a few weeks ago, he had thought they were one and the same and he was having a hard time seeing Marinette the way he used to. It would have been perfect. But Marinette wasn't his lady and she was with Luka anyway even if she had been Ladybug. Marinette was just one of his closest friends. Besides, the note was just from someone else who had similar handwriting he reminded himself again. And it was better that way. At least that's what he told himself. 

“It-it might be! You could try moving on from Ladybug with Marinette.” 

Adrien rolled his eyes. Plagg had an obsession with Marinette’s bakery. His kwami really never changed. He took the notes and read them over. He was grateful to Marinette, she was always so awesome but hadn’t Nino said he would do it? Was he ok?

_Hey, how’s it going? _ He texted. He got through half the notes waiting for Nino to text back. 

_Doing homework with Alya. Did Marinette get you your notes?_ Adrien laughed. Homework nights just the two of them often doubled as a date night.

_Yeah._

_Are you doing the homework together?_

That would have been nice but she hadn’t come in. 

_No, I didn’t even see her. _

_It’s a tough one. Maybe we should get together the four of us to finish it._

Adrien blinked at his phone. So they weren’t having a date night? 

_Are you sure Alya would be ok with that?_

_Dude, she's the one who suggested it!_

Uh. Well, his obligations were done for the day. He was just going to catch up and do homework for the next hour or two, maybe he could. 

_I’ll ask my dad. _

_Let us know, Alya is already texting Marinette._

“Wonderful idea! A double date.” Plagg smiled. 

Adrien rolled his eyes. If he ignored him, Plagg would stop. He had before. Adrien walked out and knocked on his father’s office door. Nathalie was the one to open it, his father not even looking up from his tablet. 

“Father, can I meet up with friends to work on homework? It’s apparently a difficult one and since I missed today’s lesson-”

“Yes fine.” His father cut him off, still looking at his tablet, frowning at something that was obviously displeasing to him. Adrien walked back to his room to collect his things. He had gotten what he wanted. Best not to let his father’s behavior, or lack thereof it, get to him. 

*****

Alya’s place was nothing like his own. With her three sisters and her mother, it was buzzing with energy. It was great even if a little cramped. He joined Alya and Nino at the dining room table.

“It’s nice to see you again, are you staying for dinner?” Alya’s mom smiled at him. 

“I’d love to Mrs Césaire.” 

“Better add Marinette to the party mom. She’s on her way.” Alya added. 

“Good, I haven’t seen that girl in a while.”

“She’s bringing some fresh bread so it’s just taking a little longer.”

Should he have brought something? Adrien worried. 

“Sounds wonderf- Ella, Etta! Get off the couch!” She ran towards her younger children. “Nora, would you mind helping me out here?”

Adrien smiled at the family dynamics. If he ever had kids he would want a whole bunch like this. 

“Does either of you understand question 3?” Nino asked, seemingly immune to the sounds around him. 

Alya scoffed. “Slow down, I’m still writing number 2 down.”

Adrien stared at his own empty sheet. He hoped Marinette hadn’t started yet either.

A soft knock had him smiling. It had to be her. He looked up to see Marinette pop her head in the door, letting the sweet smell of fresh bread and pastries alongside her. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He could feel Plagg’s little heart get excited as well through his shirt. He’d sneak his kwami a piece and hopefully it would put this whole Marinette as his love interest thing to rest. 

“Hey.” He got up to hold the door open for her and help her with her things. She thanked him as they sat back down. He lost no time in grabbing one of the snacks she set on the table. It was a good thing too because everyone was now swarming around the table to do the same. 

“Feel free to drop by anytime my dear.” Alya’s mom said after a bite of a croissant. “Say thank you to your parents for me.” She turned back to the kitchen, assembling ingredients for dinner. 

“Do you need any help Mrs Césaire?” He offered. Not that he would know what to do but that way he could contribute something. 

“Don’t be silly, get your homework done. Otis will take over when he gets home.”

He would bring something next time. A nice dessert or appetizer maybe. 

“Come on people, we still have seven questions to go.”

Right. He snuck a peek at Marinette’s sheet, secretly pleased that she hadn’t started yet either. He dragged his chair closer to her but not too close. He remembered how people getting too close made her nervous. 

“Nine for us, shall we catch up to them?” He smiled at her. She blushed and nodded. His eyes stayed on her as she fished out a pencil. He held back a chuckle at the face she was making at her bag as she struggled to find it.

“Here, use one of mine.” He offered her one. “A small thank you for copying the notes for me.”

“It was nothing.” She blushed again. 

“Hurricane!” Etta yelled from the living space. 

Adrien sat upright, eyes going straight to the window. Not again please not- he didn’t see anything. 

“Miraculous ladybug!” Ella yelled and threw a stuffed animal at her sister. 

Adrien smiled. They were just playing. He turned back to his homework noticing Marinette relaxing as well. He didn’t blame her, it had been a scary day for everyone. He and Ladybug had been given a clock to race against as the planet had gotten colder by the second. Their suits hadn’t been enough to stay warm near the end. Thank goodness for Ladybug and her crazy plans.  
He suppressed a chuckle at the memory of how she had used that photocopier to blind Stormy long enough to grab her umbrella. The crazy part had been powering the thing. She had grabbed a nearby stuck kite and her lucky charm metal straw, not the pencil the media had thought it was, to use Stormy Weather’s own storm against her. Benjamin Franklin 2.0 he had called her. She had winked at him before setting everything in place and making good use of Stormy’s momentary blindness. He smiled again at the memory. She was smiling at him more and overall being more at ease ith him. Enough to even tell him a pun. He couldn’t help the grin on his face now. 

Alya sighed. “Sorry mom, I let them watch the news. They got scared with the volcano outside.”

“It’s alright honey, they don’t seem scared now. I didn’t even ask if you guys were ok.”

“We cuddled up for warmth.” Alya replied and her mom gave her a wide-eyed look. “All of us! Nora, the twins. We _all_ cuddled up for warmth.” Alya blushed, something he rarely saw, as Marinette giggled along with Mrs Césaire. 

“I bet a lot of people did that. I stood in front of the fire oven along with the other chefs. I’m glad you stayed indoors instead of trying to get something for your ladyblog.” 

Alya blushed again. Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he had seen Alya at an akuma attack. 

“Yeah well I’m focusing on trying to figure out who Hawk Moth is. I think that’s what would help Ladybug most.” 

“Just be careful honey.” Her mother warned. 

“Your mom’s right Alya.” Marinette pipped up. “I’m sure Ladybug appreciates it but you don’t want to make yourself a target to Hawk Moth.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m not posting about it much. Actually I haven’t posted anything since my piece on that temple popping out of nowhere.”

“Have you found anything out?” Marinette asked. 

Alya shook her head. “No, it’s a dead trail. I haven’t found that symbol anywhere else. Honestly, I wish I could go to Tibet to investigate the temple itself but the Tibetan government has completely closed it off to the public. No one has gotten access since that first day.”

“That’s probably best for those poor monks. Can you imagine just appearing after a whole century? The helicopters must have freaked them out.” Marinette said. 

She had a point. He couldn’t imagine how they were doing. He knew Plagg was eager to visit as well. 

“Not to mention your parents wouldn’t let you.” Mrs Césaire commented. 

“Funny how no one is freaking out over this reappearing temple.” Nino said. 

“Paris has gotten used to weird things.” Adrien mentioned. 

“Yeah, an old temple reappearing is far from the craziest thing to have happened.” Alya added. 

“Things sure have changed in the past year.” Marinette said. 

“Funny you should mention that. Nino and I were just talking about what our lives would be like if Hawk Moth had never surfaced.”

The thought should be one of wishfulnesses but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to that. If it wasn’t for Hawk Moth, he never would have become Cat Noir and never would have met Ladybug or Plagg. 

“Yeah, we figured we never would have started dating since it was Ladybug that got us together.”

“I’m sure you would have found each other eventually,” Marinette said. 

Would he still have found Ladybug? The civilian Ladybug that was.

“Maybe.” Alya allowed. “Or maybe he’d still be pining over you.”

Marinette blushed. 

“I didn’t _pine_.” Nino immediately denied. 

Adrien remembered that day. Nino admitting to his crush on Marinette and how he had coached Nino on his 'date'. 

“What? Are you saying my girl isn’t pine worthy?” Alya acted offended. 

“No-I just- I mean-YOU-”

Alya laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” 

Nino breathed a sigh of relief, going back to his smiley self and focusing on his homework before she could tease him again. 

“Sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

Adrien shifted his eyes to Marinette, he hadn’t noticed how she had sunk into her chair a bit more. 

“Oh, it’s ok.” She sat up again. “I know I’m pine worthy. Hard not to be with how _sappy_ I am.”

Adrien laughed at the pun. He had never heard her pun before. 

“Not to mention how _poplar_ you are.” Adrien joined the fun. 

Alya and Nino groaned. It didn’t matter, Marinette laughed.

“And of course how much of _acorn-y_ person I am.” 

“Yes, you are definitely corny. Since when do you pun so much?” Alya groaned. 

Marinette blushed and shrugged before turning back to her homework. Shoot, she was writing an answer down for the first question. He hadn’t even finished reading it. He needed to focus. But her careful handwriting caught his eye and had him thinking about the note again. It had always been a mystery to him. He could have sworn he had thrown his poem in the trash but someone had seen it and answered it. His heart, of course, wanted it to come from Ladybug but nothing about that made sense. He knew it had to have been someone at school. Probably who matched the description. Who either knew he had written it or had just recognized his handwriting. And why should it even matter? He should let it go. It hadn’t even been signed. What if it had just been some kind of prank?

“Hey! No copying!” Alya chided. Right. He had been staring at Marinette’s sheet for a while. He looked back at his own sheet, finally jotting something down. 

Even if it _had_ been Marinette. That was a long time ago and she was with Luka now anyways. And he didn’t _want_ it to be from Marinette, he reminded himself. Because he was in love with Ladybug. 

Then why did he keep checking her handwriting and wondering ‘what if’? 

He was just curious. Could someone as awesome as Marinette really have had feelings for him in the past? He could ask… only he didn’t really want to know the answer.

“Adrien, just ask Marinette for help instead.”

Adrien startled. “I wasn’t copying I swear!” He immediately denied. 

“Then why do you keep staring at her sheet?”

“I-” If he was going to ask about the card it would be now. “I’m just checking if I have the right idea.” He lied. He then asked Marinette a question, fully engaging in the assignment. He needed to put this whole poem thing behind him again.


	18. Ikari Gozen

"I'm glad your mom let you stay out." Marinette smiled as she finished her juice. "What do you want to do now?" 

Kagami checked her phone. "I have two hours before I need to go home."

Marinette's phone buzzed. It was another message from Alya. 

"Hey girl! Wayhem, Adrien, and I are headed to the Louvre to meet up with Nino and Alex. Join us if you can!" 

Marinette smiled at Kagami. "What uh, what do you think?" Part of her still didn’t want to go but she couldn’t bring herself to hide this from Kagami. Not now that she knew how lonely the girl was. She felt horrible for having tried to keep her away from her one friend. 

"I probably shouldn’t go. I don't think your friend likes me very much."

Marinette's heart clenched. Kagami must have seen the messages. She had suspected as much when she had come back after taking the selfie and said they weren't compatible. 

"What? No, that's crazy, Alya barely knows you." 

"She sent you a message earlier saying she was sorry to hear you were stuck with me. I didn't mean to pry, the message kept popping up when I tried to take a picture and I opened it by accident."

Marinette sighed. Her own snooping had not been an accident. "Kagami I- It's not what you think. It's just-" 

"You like Adrien and I like him too. That makes us rivals." 

Rivals? She had been acting that way, hadn't she? What with trying to keep them apart at the cost of her not spending time with Adrien either. Because, in reality, she knew she couldn't compete with Kagami. She was a blundering mess whereas Kagami was confident even if not as confident as she had originally thought. Maybe that’s how the day had started but she wasn’t going to let it stay that way. 

"No." She said firmly. "We're not rivals. We're friends now." 

"And Adrien?" 

"Like you said, he'll make his own decision." Marinette looked away. If he hadn’t already. He clearly liked Kagami and Marinette could see why. She felt renewed embarrassment at how she had acted. She couldn’t let her jealousy get the better of her again. She had to believe what she had just said and, more than that, she should tell Adrien how she felt so that at least he knew his options. 

"That's very mature of you Marinette. Let's join your friends at the Louvre."

"Really?" 

"I learned today that people should be given additional chances despite past mistakes. Come on."

Marinette smiled. She would have never guessed this was how the day would end but she was happy with it. She had learned to give people a second chance as well. Kagami had been an amazing superhero. It was a shame Hawk Moth knew her identity. They had worked really well together in the end. 

Kagami got up and Marinette followed suit as they walked to the Subway. 

*****  
Adrien smiled as he and the contest winners walked towards the museum entrance. He couldn't believe his luck that his friends had won the competition. Now he could hang out with them with the certainty of his father not interrupting him for the next two hours. It was part of the contract. 

“Marinette and Kagami are on their way,” Alya said in disbelief. 

Adrien perked up. Today had been a crazy day for Kagami, it would be good to see how she was holding up. “That’s great.” 

“Yeah,” Alya replied, eyeing her phone suspiciously. 

“Sorry, but who are we talking about?” Wayhem asked. 

Alya shook her head slightly, putting her phone away. “Marinette is the coolest girl you’ll ever meet. This day is about to get way better!”

“And Kagami is awesome too. She and I fence together.”

“That’s so cool.” Wayhem smiled. “How crazy that we won and we finally get to hang out!”

Adrien felt bad. He and Wayhem emailed and video chatted once in a while but they had never managed to find time to just hang out. Maybe after today, he could join their group hangouts more often. 

“Hey guys!” Nino called to them as he and Alex joined them at the entrance. 

Adrien beamed at his friend. He couldn't be more pleased with how the contest had worked out. 

*****

Marinette nervously played with her hands as she and Kagami rode the subway. She wasn’t going to sabotage anything. She was going to spend time with Adrien and she wasn’t going to let anything bring her down. It was going to be great and maybe Kagami would make some other friends as well. The subway stopped at the Louvre station and they both walked out. 

“Are you sure this will be alright? You seem very nervous.”

Marinette immediately put her hands behind her back. “Yeah, No, It’s fine, I’m fine.” She internally groaned. 

“Hey girls!” Adrien waved at them by the front of the museum. 

Kagami smiled and picked up the pace as she made right for him. Marinette followed at a slower pace, avoiding looking at their interaction. 

“You ok girl? What happened?” Alya asked once she was close enough. “Why is the ice queen with you?”

Marinette cringed. She had been the first one to call Kagami that. She didn’t deserve to be her friend. 

“I was wrong about her.” She whispered. “I know she’s a little-” Marinette wasn’t sure how to describe it. “But she just wants to make friends and once you get to know her, she’s pretty cool too.”

“Whatever you say girl.” 

****

“I see you ended up making a friend.” Adrien smiled at Kagami. It had been his idea for her to sign up for today’s game. She was still new in town and had mentioned that she hadn’t made any new friends yet. 

“You’re lucky you ended up with Marinette, she’s awesome.”  
He knew they would become friends once they got to know each other. Marinette could be a little shy at first and Kagami a little… intimidating but they were both awesome girls. Both kind, selfless and strong. 

"Yes, I see now why she's one of your best friends."

He smiled proudly. 

"I admit I misjudged her. I first thought she didn't like me. As it turns out, she is just eccentric."

He chuckled. He remembered thinking that as well at first but Marinette was just… Marinette. He loved that about her. 

"So how long is your mom letting you stay out?"

"Only until dinner."

"Well then, we better make the most of it. Who knows when the next time we'll get to do whatever we want is going to be."

She smiled as the rest of the group joined them. It was a little forced but better than nothing. 

"Shall we go to the new exhibit?" Alya asked, already hand in hand with Nino. He was glad to see Nino talking with Wayhem. 

"Ugh, please no. My brother is one of the tour guides today." Alex groaned. 

"What about the Egyptian section?" Nino suggested. 

"Yes! I still want to try and find an Egyptian Cat Noir." Alya was immediately onboard. 

"A what?" Kagami asked. 

"Alya runs a superhero blog and discovered about a year ago that there was an Egyptian Ladybug. She's found a few others since but not many Cat Noirs." Adrien explained. 

"I'm in, I like that section." Marinette smiled. It seemed a little forced though. He hoped she was ok. No one else objected.

"Lead the way." He smiled. He had a certain fondness for the section as well. It had been where Ladybug had hidden him when Kagami had been akumatized. He eyed Kagami, trying to read how she was doing but she had her usual neutral face in place.

"So Kagami, Marinette tells me you guys were close to winning but an akuma blocked your way." Alya joined them. "I had no idea there had been an attack! Tell me everything!" 

"What would you like to know?"

"Anything cool I can include in my blog post." 

"I didn't see much, to be honest." She replied but continued to describe what Ikari Gozen had looked like.

Adrien smiled. It was a safe answer to avoid giving away too much. Of course, since Hawk Moth knew who she was, he was pretty sure Ladybug had told her what she had told Marinette. Shame they wouldn't get to work together that way again. It had been fun and she did a really good job. Something else she had in common with Marinette. He looked back to see the girl in question hanging a little behind, looking for something in her purse. She shut it as he got closer to her. 

"You ok?" He asked. 

"Yeah! Totally fine." She jumped but quickly recovered and smiled at him.

"Kagami said she had a good time with you today."

"Yeah, she's pretty cool." 

"I knew you guys would hit it off. You're the two most awesome people I know." He smiled as she looked at him in surprise and blushed. 

"I think I found one!" Wayhem exclaimed, making them both turn their heads to see Alya jog towards Wayhem and the clay pot he was looking at. 

"That's just a regular cat!" She said disappointed. 

Marinette chuckled. 

"Shall we help her look?" He asked.

She nodded and they joined Kagami by the papyrus. Marinette pointed out the Egyptian Ladybug to Kagami and they talked about the superhero for a bit. 

Yup, one of the best days ever.


	19. Timetagger

"Oh sure, two superheroes just casually watching a movie." Ladybug laughed. "You heard what Bunnix said, Cat Noir. We aren't a couple as adults."

"She didn't actually say that." Cat looked away. "Besides, we might have just changed the future today. Who knows what else we changed. And Bunnix was what? In her early twenties? That's not even a decade from now. Maybe it will just take longer than I hoped to win you over." He winked at her.

Ladybug stopped walking and grabbed his arm. "Cat- you aren't seriously going to- not for a _decade_." It wasn't right that he would pine over her for that long. It was insane! She wasn't going to let him waste his time. Not when he could find himself someone who would like him back the way he deserved.

"The heart wants what the heart wants m’lady. Besides, if we're still superheroes as adults, wouldn’t it be best to be with someone that you could share that with?"

"And what? Never be civilians around each other?" 

"Carapace and Rena Rouge seem to be doing ok." Cat noir crossed his arms.

"How did you-"

"I remember their behavior when we were fighting Scarlet Moth. They obviously know who the other is and they're a couple as civilians."

Ladybug looked away. "Yes, but they weren't supposed to know. I didn't have a choice. There was no time. I had to give both of them their miraculouses at the same time and, as you may recall, it went horribly wrong. Carapace was akumatized right after Rena Rouge because of his feelings for her." She gave him a meaningful look.

"But you still call on their help and that hasn't happened again. Besides," Cat Noir took a step closer to her, making sure she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "I already have feelings for you. Strong ones. If anything happened to you, I would be a mess. Whether we were a couple or not."

Ladybug stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape, unsure of what to say.

"Besides, we'll defeat Hawk Moth before that." 

"Only for him to get replaced by another." Ladybug looked away, the worry clear on her face. 

"I'm sure we'll defeat him too." He said confidently.

She sighed. "It's not at all what I imagined my future to be." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I thought once we defeated Hawk Moth that that would be it." She said. 

"Don't you enjoy being a superhero?" 

"Yes but it's also a lot. I always kind of imagined a simpler life after that. Don't you ever get tired of the double life? Of needing to lie to your friends and family all the time?" 

"It's worth it." He shrugged.

“What about having a family?” Ladybug asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. She had always wanted to be a mom. She had once talked to Tikki about it and her kwami had said they would figure things out. She had believed it back then because he figured it couldn't take too long to defeat Hawk Moth but now...

“What about it?” Cat Noir asked, seeming unbothered by the whole thing. 

“Forget it.” She spun around in frustration and swung away. She wanted time to think on her own. 

******

Cat Noir catapulted himself onto the nearest roof. He scanned the horizon but Ladybug had left too swiftly. He kicked a chimney in frustration before leaning against it, slumping to the ground. 

"I'm an idiot." He voiced to himself. "Plagg, claws in." The detransformation felt good. It helped with his self-loathing with his Cat Noir side to just be Adrien. 

"I upset her Plagg." He said, not as a statement of what happened, his kwami saw everything he did as Cat Noir, but as an explanation for his feelings.

Plagg looked at him painfully. That was new. He was expecting his kwami to say something dismissive and help him buck up. 

"Plagg? Are you alright?"

"You're not really going to pine after Ladybug for a decade in the hopes of it going somewhere at some point are you?"

"You sound like Ladybug." 

"Maybe- maybe it's not meant to be." Plagg voiced softly. 

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't always work out. I just thought this time… how could it not once you discovered- and then with that whole Oblivio ordeal-" Adrien was not following his kwami's ramblings.

"What are you talking about Plagg?" 

"Nothing." He sighed. 

“Do you think Ladybug will be mad at me long?” He hadn’t meant to upset her. 

“I don’t think you’re really the one who made her upset. It’s a lot to process.”

“Right.” He didn’t have any issues with processing the day at all. He now knew they would get to be superheroes, fighting side by side for a whole decade at least. They were meant to be, he just knew it, and surely Bunnix’s weird answer had to mean that something was going to happen between them, right?

*****  
Ladybug rushed home and transformed back the second she was in her bedroom. "Tikki?" She looked around for her kwami.

Tikki smashed herself into Marinette's cheek as she got close to give her a hug, Marinette's cheek moving too fast for her to dodge. 

"Sorry Tikki." Marinette held out her hands so her Kwami could sit as she rubbed her head.

"Are you ok Marinette?" 

"I don't know Tikki. Today was a lot to take in." She sat on her bed. "To know that I'll still be Ladybug as an adult and that things will get harder."

"That you'll grow and meet those challenges! That you have a whole team of people you can trust that will be supporting you." Tikki floated up to her face. 

That was true. She would have Cat Noir and Bunnix for sure at least. The thought brought back her initial distress, however. 

"Tikki, did any of your previous owners have families?"

Tikki gave a small frown and didn't quite look Marinette in the eye. "Yes."

"It doesn't go well does it?" She knew that. Part of her knew it was a bad idea to be both Ladybug and a mother.

"Would you- would you rather not be Ladybug?" The kwami asked timidly.

Marinette had thought about that. She could always give it up. But no. Paris needed her and it sounded like future Paris was the same.  
Marinette cupped Tikki in her hands again. "And give you up? Never."

Tikki giggled and hugged her cheek. "Don't worry Marinette. The future wasn't that far into your adulthood."

She had a point. Did she even want kids before the age of 25? She could wait. Her mom had had her later in life. She had been in her 30s…

"And what about me dating Adr- someone without them knowing my identity?" As much as she hated to admit it Cat Noir had a point about how much nicer it would be if she could share her secret with the person she loved. 

To her surprise, Tikki giggled. "I have a feeling that will work itself out too." 

Whatever that meant. Marinette signed. In order for any of these larger questions to be even valid, she would have to finally tell Adrien how she felt. Something that seemed far off into the future as well. 

“There’s one thing that’s still bothering me though.”

“What’s that?”

“If we defeat Hawk Moth then we'll probably get his miraculous back right?” She sat down. “Then how does someone else get their hands on the butterfly miraculous to become the new Hawk Moth?” 

Tikki gave her a sympathetic look “A lot of things could happen to cause that. Best not to dwell on it too much.”

“Right.” 

All things considered, the future could have been worse. 

*****  
Bunnix closed the portal and smiled at adult Ladybug and Cat Noir. It felt good to see them as themselves again. She had forgotten how small they all used to be. 

“Glad to have you back Bunnix.” Ladybug smiled at her, extending her fist. “Pound it.” 

She extended her fist to bump it against Ladybug’s, only her fist went _through_ hers instead. They both jumped back. Oh no. 

“Bunnix?” Cat Noir asked her, concerned. She shared a look with Ladybug. 

“Too much interfering?” She asked. Time travel was a tricky thing. You didn’t mess with it unless there was no other option and today, well 10 years ago really, the timeline had gotten played with. 

“You better check.” Ladybug said, looking worried.

Bunnix nodded and went into her burrow again. Observing all the different time portals was a funny thing. There were many future possibilities that constantly shifted based on present events as her timeline moved forward. She usually avoided looking at those. You could go crazy trying to figure the future out. She almost had the first time… Shaking her head she looked to the past. She knew her actions would have created a paradox, causing the time between now and the point in time she had traveled to to become a mix of possibilities and fluid like the future instead of the past that had fully past. She closed her eyes at the confusion of it all, letting her brain process what it meant.   
Somehow, her actions had changed the past, adding a very eerie new possibility into the mix. The sight of a destroyed Paris, drowned in water and leveled to the ground, shocked her. What scared her even more was the very white Cat Noir signing on a roof with no Ladybug in view. That had definitely not happened. And yet, apparently it might. She jumped back until she found a moment in time that wasn’t glitchy with the possibility of Paris getting destroyed. Three weeks from the day Minibug and Kitty Noir knew as today something was going to happen that would cause this very real possibility of the world ending. She had to stop it before this possibility came to pass and became her new present which would have no future at all. She scanned the problematic day in question, looking for Ladybug. There she was, roaming the roofs. Perfect. She made a time portal and didn’t hesitate to go through. 

“Minibug, something happened today that caused a major disaster in the future. I’m not sure what it was or when it happened exactly. Nothing unusual to report on your side? Think Minibug, think!” 

“Uh no?”

“Ugh, in my burrow now.” She had hoped the Minibug from the day of the initial event would have an idea but causes and effects had a way of being particularly hard to pin down without hindsight. At least this Minibug would work on fixing things while she worked out the details of what had gone wrong. She wasn’t sure what she was throwing Minibug into aside from an akumatized Cat Noir. This had never happened before and, hopefully, her superpower would fix everything. The future of the world was at stake.


	20. Party Crasher

Master Fu watched as Marinette exited the Agreste mansion with Adrien and their friends. He needed to get back the three miraculous he had handed out earlier that day but the trick was going to be to catch her eye without catching Cat Noir’s. 

He smiled as he watched the two make small talk as they walked down the street. It was always beautiful to see young love at work. It made him miss Marianne terribly. Enough to once again tempt him to hand off his title as the guardian to Marinette sooner but she was still young and although she was very capable, he knew she could benefit from more growth in confidence before the title became hers. Besides, he still had memories to write down for himself before that day would come so that he would know how to find Marianne. 

He followed the two superheroes at a distance until they reached the rest of their friends who were planting trees. 

“Shall I go tell her you’re here Master?” Wayzz offered. 

He nodded, watching as Wayzz zipped towards Marinette’s feet. Marinette looked down and her gaze went from Wayzz to him. She smiled at her friends and made an excuse. He walked behind a building, knowing she would see him and follow. 

She was a good Ladybug but today had shown him that even the best could get caught. It was lucky he had been there with the extra miraculous. They needed to put a plan in place for when she would become the guardian.

“Master?” Marinette turned the corner. 

“Hello Ladybug, I believe you have somethings to give back to me.”

She smiled and pulled the three miraculous boxes from her purse. “Lucky you were here Master, I don’t know how we could have succeeded without the extra help.”

He gave her a small bow as he accepted the miraculous and put them back in their box. 

“I am never too far from either you or Cat Noir.” 

Marinette smiled in gratitude. 

“But one day that will not be the case.”

“You still have lots of time left,” Marinette reassured him, or perhaps herself. 

“Perhaps. When you become the guardian it will be important to have a plan in place should you become compromised.”

“Plagg knows who she is,” Tikki mentioned. 

“That would require Cat Noir to detransform and speak with him. After today, I am concerned that his reactiveness may prevent him from doing so.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cat Noir was very eager to try and rescue you Ladybug. He listens to his heart before his head.”

“I’ll speak with him but we have lots of time to come up with a plan.” 

Master Fu nodded. “Enjoy the rest of your day Ladybug.”

“Thanks Master, you too.” She waved as she left the alley. 

“Perhaps it would be a good idea to have them both know the other’s identity when the time comes Master,” Wayzz suggested. 

“Perhaps.” Master Fu allowed. “But for now that is not something either is ready for yet.” He still had time. Once they had defeated Hawk Moth or when they had suitable control over their emotions it would be safer to do so. 

*****

Cat Noir hummed his kitty on a roof song as he waited for Ladybug to join him. His body was rife with excitement at what she may want to talk with him about. 

“Hey, Kitty.” She landed a little behind him.

“Hey Bugaboo.” He stopped his humming and admired her as she made her way to sit next to him. “Beautiful evening isn’t it?” It may be a cloudy one but it was a warm one with a calming breeze. 

Ladybug nodded, not even a smile on her face. His heart fell. Suddenly he did not want to know what she wanted to talk with him about. 

“I spoke with Master Fu today.”

“Is he ok?” 

She nodded. “Yeah, he just said that you were a little… reactive today. After I disappeared.”

“Ah. That.” He winced and looked away. 

“What happened?”   
Cat Noir sighed. “He told me I would need help but I ignored him and tried to fight Party Crasher on my own. It wasn’t going well.”

Ladybug nodded. 

“But even with the backup I’m assuming Master Fu got me, we still all got caught. It took King Monkey to free us all.” He pointed out. 

Ladybug was silent as she seemed to mull something over. It made him nervous. 

“It all worked out in the end.” 

She nodded. “Yeah, today it did.”

“But?” He sighed.

“But I hope you take a more cautious approach next time.”

It was a fair point even if it stung a little. 

“It was just your first time fighting without me. Usually, you’re the one who gets compromised.” She nudged him in the shoulder playfully.

He smiled. “I admit it’s not so easy on your side of the fence.”

Her giggle made him smile brighter. 

“I’m glad you're my partner Cat.”

“Me too. Shall we tour the city and find our own party to crash?”

“That was a terrible joke.” She rolled her eyes but he could tell she found it funny by the way she smiled. “But a patrol sounds like a good idea.” She stood up and he followed suit. 

“Shame, I would have liked to see more of your dance moves.”

She rolled her eyes again. “I think I’ve had enough dancing for one day.” 

She might have a point. The party at his place was enough excitement to last a while. He just hoped his father wouldn’t find out about it. 

“Race you to the Eiffel Tower then?” 

She smirked. “You’re on.” She barely finished saying before taking off. 

He laughed as he followed suit. The party his friends had thrown him had been fun but it was moments like these that were his favorite parts of the day.


	21. The puppeteer 2

It was a simple enough plan. Stay still, be a statue and then Marinette would see him, be perplexed and he'd jump and scare her. Only it hadn't gone the way he had planned. She had freaked out at the mere sight of him and so scaring her further seemed like a bad idea but then things had gotten awkward. Oh so very awkward. She had smelled him and then acted out some kind of scene and at that point, he had stayed still too long to do anything about it so he figured he'd wait it out. She would finish her scene, laugh at it, walk away, and never know it had been him. Only she was committed to her role. Who knew she could act? It was good. Lots of passion. Surely she couldn't hate him too much if she could pull this off. And then she leaned in to kiss him. He seriously considered letting it happen to avoid the embarrassment but he couldn't do that to her. He moved. He moved back a lot. He terrified her and embarrassed her in one swoop. He seriously should have said something earlier. Or picked a better joke. Ladybug was always telling him his jokes needed work. He hated to admit it, but she was probably onto something. Marinette had seemed so upset even after they had talked. Despite what she had said in the car, he still had a suspicion she didn't like him much. He didn't blame her. Perhaps it was a good thing an akuma attack had interrupted their conversation at the wax museum. Who knows how much deeper of a hole he could have dug himself into. At least they were still friends. 

His bodyguard pulled up to his house. He was glad to be home. He personally had had enough of wax statues to last a lifetime. The image of him cataclysming Ladybug's wax statue was sure to cause a whole new onslaught of nightmares. And said statue almost kissing him some good ones. His dreams were going to be confusing, he just knew it. 

He should have known something was up the second she had grabbed his hands. She was always laser-focused on the task at hand. No way would she pick that moment to kiss him. Hawk Moth knew his weakness and it had almost worked. If it wasn't for how well he knew Ladybug's distinct smell… He shook his head. It hadn’t been real. Any of it. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that odd exchange with Ladybug. She had said how she thought sharing her feelings was difficult. She had asked him how he was able to tell her his feelings all the time. Admittedly, he had hoped it was feelings for him but he knew better than to get those hopes up. Still, he couldn't help but be curious as to what was going on in her life that she was having a hard time sharing. She never seemed shy to share her feelings with him. Within the limits of their secret identities anyway. 

Adrien sighed as he walked up the empty stairs to his room. Maybe he could ask Ladybug about it sometime, but for now, he needed to make sure Marinette was feeling alright. 

*****  
Tikki starred sadly at Marinette. She desperately wanted to tell her everything. This was getting out of hand. If Marinette only knew the girl Adrien loved was actually her then- 

"I guess he and Kagami are getting serious." Marinette lamented. 

"You don't know that for sure." Tikki tried to reassure her. 

"Who else could it be? Kagami is smart, strong, a good fighter, brave, confident, beautiful." Marinette sighed. "I can't compete with all that."

"You're all those things too Marinette."

"Not around Adrien." She mumbled. 

"You just need to show him your Ladybug side!"

"Right because acting the confident part worked so well for me today." Marinette rolled her eyes as her cheeks reddened. She hugged her pillow tighter. 

Tikki's expression fell. Yes, her interaction with not-a-statue-Adrien had been particularly painful to be witness to. 

"Adrien didn't seem to think too much about it." Remarkably. 

"Maybe it's time I tried to let him go again. Things were good when I focused on just being friends."

"Don't let Cat Noir overhear you." 

That managed to make Marinette smile. 

A knock came from the trap door above. Tikki smiled at Marinette. “Speaking of which...:”

"You don’t think he heard me do you?" Marinette hissed as she sat up and before opened her trap door. Sure enough, Cat Noir was smiling at her and was lending her a hand. 

"Hey Princess, you had quite an adventurous day today what with being attacked by a statue.” He said as she accepted his offered hand and joined him on her balcony. 

Marinette’s face turned red. “How did you know that?” 

He seemed startled by her question. “Oh, I saw you run off just before I joined Ladybug in the fight.” He rubbed at his neck. 

He had? She hadn’t seen him but then again she was focused on finding a place to hide so she could transform. 

“So, is everything alright? You seem a little down.”

“It’s nothing. Nothing related to being attacked by Wax Moth anyway.”

Cat Noir laughed. “That’s not bad.” 

Marinette gave a small smile. 

“So then what’s up? Don’t tell me you got your heart broken again.” He teased. 

She looked away, cheeks burning.

“Shoot. Really?” He asked, wincing. “Sorry I didn’t mean-”

“It’s ok.” She interrupted. “You couldn’t have known.”

“Right.” He looked away, ears drooping. “That’s… quite the bad day for you then isn’t it?” 

She shrugged. “I guess I just have incredibly bad luck in that department.”

“Well, you do cross paths with a black cat often enough.”

Marinette laughed. He had no idea how often. “Right. That must be it.”

“You never know, it could explain why I’m having such horrible luck with Ladybug.”

Marinette giggled. 

“I’m serious! Think about it. We kiss twice, both times I don’t remember. She was about to kiss me today-”

“Wait what?!” Marinette exclaimed. 

He chucked. “But it turned out to just be her wax statue. I must be cursed.”

Marinette let out a slow breath and a shaky laugh. Right, her statue. Of course. 

“Was the wax statue about to kiss you or were you trying to kiss the statue?” She teased. 

“Oh, it was definitely the statue! She was trying to get my miraculous.” He explained. 

“Sounds dangerous,” Marinette said in all seriousness. 

“I wasn’t fooled. She smelled like wax.”

Marinette blushed at how she failed to realize that Adrien and the wax Cat Noir weren’t who they had seemed to be.

“But it was really convincing at first.” He said as if he had read her mind and was trying to make her feel better. He couldn’t know she was Ladybug right? Even if he had seen her run into that elevator. 

“Yeah, those statues are surprisingly realistic.” She said. He watched her as if waiting for her to say something else. “Hum, did you need anything else?”

“No, I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” He looked disappointed. 

“Are _you_ ok?” She asked. 

“Me? Yeah, I’m just- I upset a friend of mine earlier today and it’s still on my mind I guess.”

“What did you do?”

He shook his head. “A joke just went terribly wrong.”

Was today a new April fools day or something? “Did you apologize?”

He nodded. “Yeah, and it seemed everything was fine but they still seemed bothered by it.”

“Maybe they forgave you but are still hurt by your joke.” She offered. 

“You think?”

She shrugged. She knew Cat Noir’s jokes could be ill-timed or grown worthy but they weren't really hurtful.

“What should I do, you think, to help them feel better?”

“If they forgave you then they probably just need time to get over whatever the bad joke was.”

“Right.” He looked down, frowning. “I hum, I guess I should leave you be. Sorry about the bad day you had.”

“Sounds like yours wasn’t that great either.”

“Yeah, we need to stop meeting like this.” He joked. 

Marinette giggled. 

"You're a really amazing person Marinette. I know one day your prince will come." He winked before catapulting away. 

Marinette watched him disappear into the city, a soft smile on her face. 

"You know, if you're going to focus on just being Adrien's friend then maybe you and Cat Noir could-" Tikki popped out of her hiding place. 

"What?! No, Cat Noir is just my partner." She blushed.

"But-"

"He loves Ladybug so much and I-" She liked him. A little. Just a tiny little bit. "I don't feel the way he does. Besides, we're supposed to save Paris together. That's it." Marinette went back down the trapdoor to her room. Tikki sighed and followed her. Her owner was so stubborn she couldn't even be honest with herself. 

*****  
Adrien felt horrible. "I wonder what happened between Marinette and Luka." He asked Plagg once he was back in his room.   
He was sad for her. She deserved to be happy.   
No wonder she had been acting a little strange that day. Nino too come to think of it. As Alya's boyfriend, he must have known. Nino had probably been trying to get him to cheer Marinette up but he had just been so focused on himself and whether or not Marinette liked him. 

"I really messed up today didn't I?" He sighed. Plagg didn't offer a reply. Adrien scanned the room, finally spotting him in his cheese cupboard. Of course. 

He wished there was more he could do to cheer her up but time was what she had asked for so it was time he was going to give her. 

He wondered if Ladybug was having more luck than them. Once she told this boy she liked him it would be the end. What idiot would say no to Ladybug? He sighed. He wanted her to be happy but it made his heart clench to think about her not just liking someone else but dating them. Jealousy bubbled within him. Whoever this guy was, he hoped he was good enough for his lady.


	22. Cat blanc

**(In the alternate timeline)**  
Cat Noir held his smile until Ladybug and Bunnix were gone, he turned around for good measure and let his face fall as he saw the destruction around him. Paris, his beloved city, was completely destroyed. What had happened? He remembered the utter chaos that led to him getting akumatized, by his very own father no less, but then nothing. What did he _do_? It was ok, Marinette was going to fix everything just as she always did. Although he didn't really understand what she meant about needing to fix things through the time portal since he still remembered who she was but he trusted her. Marinette always did what was best. Although sometimes she'd _assume_ what was best as had happened during their break up.

_"Everything will be alright." He whispered into her hair, holding Marinette close to him. _

_"All this time, I can't believe it." Marinette laughed. "My Kitty!" She kissed him. _

_His heart swelled, he wasn't sure what she would think when she found out his identity. Only he couldn’t help but be confused. She had just broken up with him. He pushed her back gently. _

_"Marinette, I don't understand. Didn't you just say you didn't love me anymore?" _

_Her eyes teared up again and a sob escaped her. _

_"Your father came to see me yesterday at the bakery." She said, looking away._

_"He did?" He grabs the umbrella she dropped and hands it to her. _

_"Well, on his tablet via Nathalie." She takes it, not quite looking him in the eyes. _

_"What did he want?"_

_"He said I was ruining your image and told me to break up with you otherwise-" She bit her lip and started to cry again._

_"Otherwise what?" His hands balled into fists. _

_"He'd pull you out of school and make sure you never saw your friends ever again." She finally looked at him. _

_Cat Noir gasped, turning to face his home. _

_"That's insane. We should talk to him and clear this whole thing up." He pulled her to her feet. His ring beeped. 4 minutes. _

_Marinette shook her head. "He was very clear."_

_"But-" It didn't make sense. Why would his father do that to him? _

The dark reality as to why hit him like a bucket of cold water. It was his father who sent that akuma after Marinette after their break up. Did he know then that she was Ladybug? How long had he known he was Cat Noir? He had transformed out in the open, maybe his dad, Hawk Moth, had seen him. The one time he paid attention to him...

Cat Noir gulped. They had dated in secret as superheroes after that with some sneaking around at school. It had seemed the perfect plan but then they had got caught. If his dad hadn't known Marinette was Ladybug before then that would have done it.

This morning made a whole lot more sense. Hawk Moth had uncharacteristically been out in the open without there being an akuma attack, calling for a final battle. Marinette had suspected a trap. It just wasn't the trap they had imagined. They had circled the area before attacking him from two sides. He had led them to his house, right up to the entrance before the ground gave way to a secret lair where-

Cat Noir held his breath to keep from sobbing as silent tears fell down his face.

His mother.

His very much not dead mother. The reason for _everything_. His Father was so far gone, he had terrorized a city for over a year to try and get her back. He wondered what the cost would have been.

A swarm of ladybugs zoomed out of the portal heading straight for the moon. Cat Noir smiled weakly. His lady was fixing everything. The ladybugs zoomed back to him and swarmed around the buildings and himself. Everything was going to be ok. The destruction he caused would get fixed, Marinette would come back and they would figure everything out. They knew everything now. It would be the end of Hawk Moth. The ladybugs swirled closer around him as everything went white.

*****  
_"You broke my heart Marinette.”_

Marinette tried to run but her legs didn’t take her anywhere.

_“But I can fix everything. With the miraculous, our love can come back."_

She's drowning now, surrounded by black dust.

_"You did this but you won't help me fix it! You don't love me anymore. Nothing matters anymore." _

White light blinds her and Marinette jumps, waking up in the process. Everything is dark. Not white. She fixed it. The future. Everything is ok now. Her breathing and heart slow.

"Marinette?" Tikki looked at her worriedly.

"I'm ok. Just a nightmare." Just a reality. A really really bad reality. One where her partner found out who she was. One where she loved him but then broke his heart. One where all of Paris got cataclysmed, including her. She wished she could forget. These pieces of something that could happen were too much.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tikki asked.

Where would she even begin? How her feelings for Adrien had led to her being reckless and exposing her identity? Her confusion at what Cat Noir had said about their love? That apparently a version of her with memories loved him and then broke his heart? Her very real fear of that future happening again? With her dead. By her kitty's own hand.

"History can't repeat itself Tikki. That future- I need to make sure that _never_ happens."

"That's what Bunnix is for, Marinette. Just like she did today. Everything will be ok."

"And what if I had failed?" It had been close. Cat Blanc had been about to destroy everything. Again.

"You heard Bunnix, she had a plan B just in case of that."

Marinette shivered. A plan B in case she died. For all she knew, she hand't been the first Ladybug Bunnix had brought to her poor akumatized kitty.

"I can't believe Cat Noir got akumatized in the first place." It terrified her. She had broken his heart before and he had never gotten akumatized. He had been angry with her and had never gotten akumatized. And yet something got to him. It must have been bad. And he kept talking about them and their love and wanting to fix it but then he got angry and said she didn't love him and how he wanted to end the world and she couldn't help but feel that she did something and it all started somehow with him finding out her identity.

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut. No. She couldn’t go down that path. There was no way to know for sure what happened. And yet...  
Tears formed and she let them fall, trying to control her breathing.

"Marinette? Please, talk to me." Tikki rubbed her back with her tiny arm.

"Why do I keep falling in love with him Tikki?" First during Oblivio and then the future she had seen today and now… and maybe now? No, she didn't love him. She was just relieved that he was ok again. That he was himself again. They were close, that was all. She did not love him. She couldn't. It ended with disaster. Even if she did- which she didn't- but if she _did_, there would be nothing to do. It would literally be a disaster.

She now regretted going to him and resting on his shoulder. Hopefully, she hadn’t raised his hopes again. But she had needed it. Her kitty back to normal. And it had been nice. For a moment she had felt better. She had needed it especially after hearing that eery song. The one she had heard him sing twice. The one that sent chills down her spine the first time she had heard it.

_"Cat Noir, that song you were signing…"_

_"You heard that?" A shy smile accompanied his words. _

Twice. She had heard it twice. Little kitty on his roof, all alone without his lady.

_"Did you- did you just make that up?"_

_ "That would be less embarrassing wouldn't it?" He blushed and looked away. _

_"So when-"_

_"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" He asked._

_ No, she didn’t. It scared her and yet a vision of him in white signing the exact same song also had her worried. She nodded, feeling like it might be dangerous to prod but her curiosity was stronger._

_"It's just a little jingle that's been working itself out in my head. The song itself appeared in my head back when I had that surprise for you on the roof."_

_It felt as though something was squeezing her heart. _

_"It sounds a little… dissonant." _

_"Love often is I guess." He said happily. _

_"How do you keep doing that?"_

_"Doing what?"_

_"That! Just being so open with me time after time."_

_"Does it bother you?" His smile dropped._

_"No, it's not that."_

_"Then what is it?" _

_"I just- I don't understand why- how it's so easy for you-" _

_"Is this about that boy again? The one you struggle to confess to?"_

_"How did you-"_

_"I pay attention," He said gently, making her blush. "Have you never told him how you feel?"_

_She shook her head no. _

_"You should tell him the next chance you get."_

_"How do you handle it? The rejection?" She looked away guiltily. She shouldn't ask him this. _

_"I still have hope." He replied, lifting her chin and for a moment she thinks he’s going to kiss her and for a moment the thought excites her. “But I want you to be happy.” He lowered his hand. “I should go. A pleasure as always m’lady.”_

_She didn't want him to leave but she could tell he was upset under that smile. She had hurt him by talking about all this stuff. And they had been having such a nice moment too…_

"Tikki… what do I do?" Her heart was a mess.

"Let's start with getting more sleep."

Marinette nodded and settled back into a comfortable position.

_You should tell him the next chance you get. _

He made it sound so easy. He had once told her that it was the most important things that were worth saying. Even if she kept rejecting him, he still told her how much he cared. Surely she could do it successfully once.

*****  
Adrien woke up before his alarm as Plagg was still fast asleep. The Sun hadn't even risen yet but the sky was brightening up. Adrien quietly got out of bed and walked over to his desk and picked up the picture of his mother.  
Today was the day she left them. The day his father had grown even more distant. The day his life had become empty.

"I think you'd be proud of me mom." He touched her face, a tear coming down his face. He missed her so much. He wished Ladybug was here to comfort him. He sat on his couch, facing the window. The previous night had been nice. Her unusual call and then even more unusual behavior had given him hope. Maybe she had just needed a friend's support like he needed it now but maybe it had meant more.

_ _"It's done." _ _

He had been too happy with how she was looking at him and then leaning on him to ask what she had been talking about. Given the conversation that followed, he now wished he had. She still liked that other boy. She still hadn't told him.

And yet she had called him and sought his shoulder to rest on. It had to mean something. It was possible to like more than one person at a time.

He looked back at the picture of his mom. "I wish you were here." She could have helped him with his girl problems. He felt like there was no one he could talk to. He pulled out his phone, Marinette’s name amongst his contacts catching his eye. She would listen to him. She was always so helpful that way. He looked at the early hour and put his phone away. He didn’t want to wake her and she had that recent heartbreak that was probably still fresh.

He lay on his couch, letting himself cry.

“Adrien?” Plagg floated over to him.

Adrien pulled his kwami into a hug. He had one person he could count on. Plagg hugged him back.

“It’s alright kid.”

Adrien sobbed and clutched him closer. “Does it ever get easier?” He asked between his weeping. He just missed his mother so much.

Plagg nestled into his neck in lieu of a response. Adrien cried until there were no tears left and fell asleep on the couch.

*****

Gabriel Agreste woke up to his miraculous indicating someone nearby had a highly negative emotion. His excitement died when he realized it was just his son.  
It was too early for either of them to be awake but given the circumstances, he supposed he should be lenient.

His own grief surfaced and it was hard to tell where his ended and his son's began.

"Perhaps you could go comfort him Master." His kwami voiced.

"Silence Nooroo." He didn't need to make it an order. The warning would be sufficient.

He had hoped that by now he would have succeeded in saving his wife but soon they would be reunited again. One of his plans was bound to succeed. His victory was close. Perhaps he could tell Adrien the truth. His son was miserable far too often but soon they would be a family again.

He got up and got dressed, noticing a voicemail had been left for him sometime the previous night. It was from his sister in law. He would listen to it later. The last time they spoke had been an argument about his and Emily's wedding rings and so he was not eager to have another conversation.

"Come Nooroo." He had work to do.


	23. Felix

_"I love you."_

Marinette smiled at the image of Adrien on her phone. She knew he had meant it for all his friends but she was one of said friends and therefore he had said it to her. 

"Are you going to tell him what your message was?" Tikki asked her. 

Marinette groaned as she put her phone down. Every time she tried to tell him how she felt, it got ruined. Giving him the wrong note, needing to erase her signature to save the world, a deleted video… Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be and the universe was ensuring she managed to stay his friend by ruining her every attempt to confess her feelings to him. 

“Not today. Too much has happened.” She told Tikki before playing the video again. There was the Adrien she knew. It may have taken her longer to figure it out when she had rescued Felix instead of Adrien but it hadn’t taken long after he had started talking. Truth be told, she had started to suspect it once he said he had always been in love with her. She had wanted it to be true but she knew he liked Kagami. Adrien barely knew Ladybug. It hadn’t made any sense. And then when he had advanced on her with that odd look in his eye she had known for sure. It wouldn’t be the first time an akuma had looked like Adrien after all. 

She played the video of Adrien saying he loved them again. How she wished it had been true for her specifically. She shook her head and put the phone down. 

“Come on Tikki, let’s see how Paris is doing this evening.” It sure beat feeling sorry for herself all night. 

*****  
Adrien would have thought that today of all days his father would have had dinner with him but apparently not. He knew his father was still mad. He had been angry all day actually. Adrien supposed they each handled their grief in different ways. 

“I’ll go finish this in my room.” He grabbed his plate and left Nathalie to her tablet. 

She gave him a regretful smile. “Very well.”

He left his meal on his desk. He wasn't even all that hungry. If his father was going to ignore him, then the least he could have done was let him see his friends. 

A red blur caught his eye before he could start ranting about it to Plagg. His heart warmed at the simple sight of his lady. It appeared that fate may have brought him a bit of luck on this horrible day after all.

“Plagg claws out.” Spending time with Ladybug would be just the thing to help cheer him up. He caught up to her in no time since she seemed to be on a leisurely tour of the city. 

“Hey.” He announced his arrival. She stopped and turned to face him. 

“Hey Kitty. Beautiful day isn’t it?” She smiled at him. He could feel his heart getting lighter already. Her face fell as she took in his appearance. 

“Are you ok?” He must have been scowling. He quickly fixed his features. 

“A bit of a bad day to be honest.”

She gave him a small apologetic smile and offered him her hand. “Why don’t we go for a stroll.”

He forced a smile as he accepted her hand and they took off. The fresh hair and his lady by his side were doing wonders to his mood. The sun was low in the sky when they stopped at the top of the Eiffel Tower and settled down to watch the sunset. 

“So how did you figure out Felix wasn't Adrien?” He started a conversation. He had been curious about it all day. Even some of his closest friends had thought it was him. 

"Felix tried to force a kiss on me." She said as if it was nothing. 

"What!?" Cat Noir jumped up. 

"He was acting odd but then when he wouldn't take no for an answer I knew for sure-"

"He's dead." Cat Noir readied his baton. He could understand Felix was hurt and thought turning against them and helping Hawk Moth would help him in some way but this was something else entirely. He would have left immediately for London if it wasn't for her hand on his arm. 

"No need to feel jealous."

"Jealous? You think I'm jealous? My lady, he disrespected you. That's not ok." And he was going to make sure Felix knew that. 

"And what exactly is your plan then?” She crossed her arms. “Do you even know where to find him?" She raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Adrien does. I'll just ask him."

Ladybug's grip on his arm got tighter. "No, don't bother him." 

"But m'lady if he knew-"

"No, he has enough to deal with today." She released him and he retracted his staff as his heart sped up.

"What uh, what do you mean?” 

"Today's the anniversary of his mother's death. It's bad enough what his cousin did on top of that. Leave him be." 

Cat Noir sat back down. Her clear distress on his behalf warming his heart. It was public knowledge so he wasn’t all that surprised that she knew but it was the way she seemed to care about him that made him blush. 

"Besides, I punched him harder than I meant to earlier. He's gotten what he deserves."

"You punched him?" He grinned. Explains why Felix had been on the floor. It must have been a good punch. Not that he'd expect anything less from his lady. 

She blushed. 

"I should have known you'd already have sealed justice." 

She smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder making his heart pound. She's been doing that a lot recently. He tentatively placed his arm around her. In response, she shifted into a more comfortable position, curling up into his side. He could feel his heart beating harder against his chest. His earlier hurt diminished as she filled him with warmth. 

He watched as she closed her eyes and smiled softly against his chest. She seemed so at peace, so happy. He stroked her hair, marveling at how she hummed and let him continue. He wished he could feel it with his bare hands. He started to purr which had his hand freezing for a second but she didn't pull back. Had she fallen asleep? He went back to stroking her hair, causing both of her hair ties to fall out, causing her to stir and sit upright, leaving a sensation of cold where she had been pressed up against him. 

She twisted to pick up the hair ties behind her which caused her hair to shift and surround her face. 

"Your hair is beautiful." He said, surprised that his thought had escaped through his lips. 

She was surprised enough that she froze, eyes finding his as her cheeks turned pink. This sight took his breath away. His hand lifted to her cheek completely enthralled by the way her hair was dancing in the wind and her eyes remained fixed on his. She was so incredibly beautiful. He was leaning in before he realized what he was doing and quickly leaned back, dropping his hand. She straightened as well and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had been leaning in too or if she had already been sitting like that. 

She looked away and fixed her hair as her cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

"Sorry." He apologized, not entirely sure what for but feeling he crossed a line.

She finished tying the other half of her hair in silence. 

“It wouldn’t be very practical for battle.” She joked and he smiled in an attempt to get rid of the odd tension between them. 

“Probably not. Do you wear your hair in pigtails in your day to day life?” He asked. His hair was styled quite differently as Adrien. 

She gave him the look that meant ‘you know we can’t tell each other anything about our lives’ and he raised his hands in a ‘just kidding’ type of way. She didn't rest her head back on his shoulder and he wished he hadn’t messed up this unique opportunity. 

“What are you thinking about?” He asked after a moment of comfortable silence. 

“Just about today’s akuma attack. I didn’t know Hawk Moth could akumatize three people with one object before. It’s not like Oblivio who was two people but merged into one villain.”

They hadn’t talked about Oblivio since the day of the attack in question. His cheeks turned pink thinking of the kiss they forgot. He cleared his throat. “Right, I hadn’t even thought of that.”

“He’s learning more and more about his powers and I feel like we’re falling behind. I wish I could see Master Fu more often.” 

“How’s that going? Your training?” She never talked about it but he figured there was no harm in asking. 

“It isn’t ideal what with Master Fu being on the run but he says I already know most of what I need to know.” She smiled at him. “Hopefully we’ll defeat Hawk Moth soon so that I can get some more actual training but there will be time for that.”

"Defeating Hawk Moth...Yeah, we really should get on that." He joked and smiled at the sound of her laugh. 

"I should get home. It's getting late." She sighed as she got up. 

His face fell in response but he got up as well. He probably should be heading back home anyway.

"Will you be alright?" She smiled at him, taking his hand in hers. 

He marveled at it. Why was she being so affectionate? He didn't dare ask though. He wanted to treasure this moment forever. Let it set camp in his dreams to ease the pain that his lonely room was sure to bring. 

"Yeah, thanks for the company tonight. I needed it." 

She smiled softly at him and gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it. 

"Goodnight." She smiled before taking off. 

"Goodnight." He breathed as he watched her disappear into the night before heading to his own house. 

"Claws in." He said sadly as he landed in his room. He missed her something fierce already. 

"Feeling better?" Plagg asked Adrien as he moved to get ready for bed.

Ladybug's touch had helped a lot. It hadn't even been a full hug but just having her close had helped. 

"A bit." He answered, letting himself fall on his bed. With his eyes closed, he could almost still feel her next to him. Maybe it had meant nothing but hope bloomed in his chest nonetheless. His phone beeped with a message from Alya. 

_We redid some of the videos. I couldn't get a hold of Marinette so I don’t have hers but I know she was thinking of you today and would share her sympathy._

He excitedly sat up and watched the kind words his friends had sent him. It helped ease his pain that little bit more. He would have to thank them tomorrow at school since it was getting late but he did text Alya a quick thanks before putting his phone away. Nothing could truly ever remove the hurt of not having his mother around but at least he was surrounded by people who cared about him.


	24. Ladybug

Adrien got home exhausted and slightly sickened by the fact that he had had to pretend to be Lila’s friend for the full photoshoot but at least Lila was going to fix her lies. He just needed to play his part. It was a good thing he knew how to act. Marinette would be back in class just as she should be. He couldn't believe the school had turned on her like that. Marinette of all people. She was kind, selfless, caring…

_"You know Lila's lying, right Adrien?" _

That look of desperation had given him pause. She never looked at him that way. As if he was her last chance. He had tried to speak up but had gotten interrupted. He should have tried harder. That's why later, he had tried to reason with their principal but he wouldn't budge. Dejected, Adrien had left and overheard Alya’s conversation with Marinette and also saw Lila spouting her usual tales surrounded by her friends. It had made him angry. Unbelievably angry. If it hadn't been for that akuma alert, he wasn't sure what he'd have done. Something stupid no doubt. Lila wouldn't have budged in front of her audience.   
Despite it preventing him from screwing things up for Marinette, he couldn't be grateful for this particular sentimonster attack. Seeing his lady injured had panicked him beyond what he had believed possible. He should have been suspicious right from the start. But Sentibug had been so lifelike, so much like his lady. And the things she had said… he had wanted to believe them full-heartedly. He had believed them. They had kissed. It had lasted only a split second before the real Ladybug had pushed them apart but their lips had touched. He felt sick knowing what he now knew. The sentimonster had been fully under Mayura's control. Did she remember her past forced actions when Ladybug had given her the power to control herself? Did she hate him in those few minutes she was herself? Did it matter now that she was gone? His first kiss that he would actually remember and he wished he could just forget it. It hadn't been his Lady. She hadn't even chosen for herself to kiss him. To top it all off, he had nearly lost his miraculous according to Plagg. He hadn't even realized it. If the real Ladybug hadn't shown up when she did… man, he felt like an idiot. Of course she had been the real one. He should have used his head as she had said. But his heart had been far too eager to convince him that his dream had come true. He felt ashamed at how easily he had been tricked and manipulated. He often thought his love for Ladybug made him strong. It gave him the strength to fight for her every day. To risk himself at every turn for her. He realized now that it was also his single greatest weakness. And Mayura knew it. 

"I'm such an idiot Plagg." He should have hidden his feelings from Paris. He had broadcasted his weakness to the world. If ever Ladybug did fall in love with him, they would have to keep it secret. Was that even something they could do. Was his hope truly doomed? 

"Best thing to do now is move on." Plagg said, swallowing a piece of Camembert whole. 

Move on from the day's events or his feelings for Ladybug? He had tried that before. It hadn't gone well. 

"This boy has no idea how lucky he is." He murmured. Ladybug was single but in love with another boy. Adrien had hoped that with time, Ladybug would get over whoever it was but her heart seemed as stubborn as his. 

"On that, we can agree." Plagg chuckled.

Adrien sighed. At the very least he should back off on how obvious his feelings were. Maybe he could convince Mayura and Hawk Moth that he'd accepted her rejection and moved on. And then maybe, if he could, he would actually move on. He had gotten his hopes up in their past few interactions but her reaction today told him that he had been silly to think it meant anything beyond friendship. Her feelings hadn’t changed and now that his feelings had caused such a disaster, it was time he tried to bury them again. 

*****

Marinette lay on her bed, curled in the fetal position facing her wall. She was glad to be back in school but the way everyone had doubted her, how Adrien was apparently friends with Lila now and how evil Mayura was turning out to be was finally taking a toll on her. And then there was how she had snapped at Cat Noir. Guilt flooded her. She had been so mad at Lila and the situation and she had taken it out on him. She signed. Her recent actions around him probably hadn't helped the situation either. She really needed to get a grip before she ended up hurting him worse than she had that day.

"Are you ok Marinette?" 

"No. No, I'm not." She felt so alone.

Marinette took a deep breath. Stay positive. You don't want to risk getting akumatized again. That could never ever happen again. She didn't know why Hawk Moth had released her but if it hadn't been for that... She hugged Tikki. 

"I'm so glad I can count on you at least." 

Tikki giggled. 

"Marinette? Someone's at the door for you." Her mom yelled from downstairs. 

Marinette startled upright. Was it Alya coming to see how she was doing?

She hurried down the stairs, eager to see her best friend. To her great surprise, it was Adrien. 

"Adrien! What- what are you doing here?" She stopped in her tracks.

"I hum, I didn't get a chance to apologize for the other day." 

Marinette blinked. 

"I knew you weren't lying. I even went to the principal after you had left but he wouldn't listen to me. I'm sorry I didn't speak up sooner." 

"T-Thanks." 

"Can you- can you let me know if Lila comes after you again?" He asked, uncertainly. 

"Hum sure." 

"Thanks." He gave her one of his brilliant smiles that always made her knees weak. 

There was another knock at the door. She jumped and opened it, surprised to see Alya there. Her friend immediately gave her a hug. 

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about Lila Marinette. I'm a horrible friend. I'll never doubt you again I swear!" 

Marinette smiled. 

"You're not horrible. I appreciate the investigation you led." 

"Still I- oh, hi Adrien! Am I interrupting something?" 

"No, I was just stopping by to apologize as well." 

Another knock, Marinette turned to face Alya who smiled. 

She opened the door to see Alix, Mylène, Juleka, and Rose.

"We figured we all owed you an apology. We should have stuck up for you more." Mylène smiled at her. 

"Yeah, we're sorry Marinette!" Rose gave her a huge hug and the other's joined in. 

“Hi, Adrien.” Mylène noticed and pulled away, the others quickly did so as well and turned to face the direction of her gaze. They gave Alya and Marinette a questioning look causing Marinette to blush. 

“So we were thinking maybe we could have a girls night but since Adrien beat us here we can just do it tomorrow if you prefer.” Alya smiled, giving the girls a meaningful look and already heading towards the door. 

“No need, I can’t stay long anyway,” Adrien explained. 

“Alright. We’ll just be upstairs Marinette.” Alya changed tactics and ushered the girls to the stairs. She gave Marinette two thumbs up and a big smile when she was facing Adrien’s back. 

Marinette blushed and turned her attention elsewhere. There was an awkward silence now that it was just the two of them. 

“Can I get you anything?” She asked, realizing that she hasn’t offered him anything yet. 

He shook his head. “I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” 

Her heart beat faster and she was racking her brain to find a way to get him to stay longer. “Yeah, I’m good now that Lila confessed that she lied. Well, sort of.” She replied. She explained it away by some weird illness that made her lie but at least the record had been set straight. “Maybe she’s capable of growing after all.” 

Adrien’s eyes turned cold and she nearly took a step back. “I wouldn’t count on it.” He said quite determinedly. He seemed to realize the intensity of his reaction and shook his head. “Sorry, I’ve just gotten to know Lila a little better recently. I don’t think she’ll be changing anytime soon.”

She nodded. “I guess the photoshoot didn’t go as well as shown on tv.” She guessed. 

He gave her a surprised look. 

“You could say that.” He responded vaguely. “I don’t want to keep you from the others and I really should get home. I’m sorry again for not having done more.” He headed for the door. 

“Adrien.” She said, not wanting him to go. “Thanks for believing me.” She said when he turned to face her. 

He gave her a kind smile. “It’s the least I could do given everything you do super Marinette.” He winked before turning to leave and she’s pretty sure her heart stopped beating. 

“See Marinette, your friends have your back.” Tikki popped out. 

Marinette nodded, still a little out of it. She wasn’t so alone after all. She smiled and hurried to join the girls waiting for her upstairs.


	25. Loveather and Miracle queen

Ladybug sat on the rooftop overlooking La Seine. Legs curled up to her chest as she hugged them close. She didn’t want to think about the day that had just passed and yet she couldn’t pretend like it hadn’t happened. She had cracked three times that day. Once just for a second in front of Luka, once in front of Cat Noir and once in front of her enemy. It was the last one that angered her and also made her doubt herself all over again. Her mistake cost her her mentor. She was all alone now. The weight of all the miraculous weighed heavily on her shoulders. Master Fu had taught her everything he knew and had left her a translation of the grimoire but she still worried that she wasn't up for the task. Not only that but now Hawkmoth knew the identities of all her trained superheroes. She couldn't use any of them again. 

Everything was her fault. She started crying again. Maybe she could go see Luka. He had a way of making her feel better and since Adrien was out of reach for sure now, maybe it was time she moved on. She didn’t know what to think anymore. She was heartbroken over Adrien being with Kagami, about Master Fu being gone, about everything. 

"Ladybug?" An atypically shy voice called to her. She wiped her eyes and sat straighter. 

"Hey Cat Noir. What are you doing here?"

He sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I needed to think. Clear my head. Looks like I'm not the only one." He leaned forward to see her eyes.

Ladybug forced a smile. 

"You don't have to do that." Cat Noir said immediately. "A lot changed today. Do you want to talk about it?”

Ladybug hesitated. She was so used to facing everything alone. And now with Master Fu and her team gone… fresh tears formed and Cat Noir pulled her into a hug. He gave great hugs. He had only ever hugged her twice before. The first when he had been afraid that a t-rex had eaten her and then the second earlier that day. This third hug helped calm her just like Luka's hug had. She hugged him back. 

"I never thought this would happen so soon. Me being the guardian. Everything is going to be different now." 

"Not everything. You still have me." He pulled back to smile at her. 

She smiled back. "That I do." She leaned on his shoulder. "As much as a fantastic duo we make, we're going to need to find other heroes. Different heroes that Hawk Moth doesn't know about." 

She felt Cat Noir tense next to her. "We?"

"I might need your help. We'll see."

Cat Noir chuckled. "I doubt it but I'm here whenever you need me Ladybug."

She expected him to call her his lady. He hadn't called her that all day actually. Maybe he was just being a supportive friend without the flirting for once. But she couldn’t help feeling that something had changed between them and although part of her was relieved another part did feel oddly close to disappointment. 

"You know, I didn't notice Marinette among our controlled hero friends. Maybe her identity is still safe from Hawk Moth. She did a great job last time you asked her for help."

Ladybug couldn’t help it, she gave a small laugh. “Maybe, but we have to assume the worst. It’s too risky.” She breathed out, some of the weight off her shoulders. At least he wouldn’t bring that up again. 

Cat Noir shook his head and smiled. “Well, that’s why you’re in charge and not me. Master Fu made the right call.”

Ladybug looked away, worrying at her lip. 

"I hope you’re not doubting yourself again.” He eyed her. “You're amazing and the best superhero ever. Even Master Fu thought so. You'll be great as a guardian too." 

Her heart warmed. "Thanks, Cat Noir." She rested her head on his shoulder again. “Did you manage to clear your head with your stroll?" She asked, changing the subject. 

He gave a sad smile. "Yeah. Things are clearer. I think I know what you need from me Ladybug and I think I finally get it.”

Her chest contacted at the way his words dripped with intensity. What did he mean? She sat straight so she could look at him. 

“I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going to try and move on again.” 

Her mouth made a small ‘o’. She knew something was up with him but-

“You have a lot on your plate and you need me to be your partner. Besides, there’s this other girl that I think-” He shook his head.

A shot of pain went through her heart. She wasn’t jealous. Maybe she was worried about their dynamic changing. Hadn’t she always wanted this? That he would stop flirting with her, move on and be happy?

“She’s a lucky girl. Who-” She stopped herself. She shouldn’t ask that. They still couldn’t know each other’s identity. Or could they? She was the guardian now after all. Wait, maybe she should know. She’d have to ask Tikki about that one. 

Cat Noir laughed. “You’d like her I think. You share a few things in common.” He smiled softly. “What about you? How are things with that guy? Have you told him how you feel yet?”

Ladybug sighed. Out of all the people she thought she would talk to about this, it wasn’t him but since he was moving on… She shook her head. “I’m too late.” She answered honestly. “He’s with someone else now.” 

Cat Noir gave her a pained look. “I’m sorry Ladybug. You deserve the world.”

She smiled at him. Maybe their dynamic would be just fine after all. “Thanks, Kitty but it’s ok. I have a lot on my plate right now anyway and he and I are still good friends.” And there were her growing feelings for Luka as well. 

“As good as you and me?” 

She laughed, probably the only sincere laugh of the day. “No, you’re still my best friend.”

“Good.” He smiled.

“Hey remember Marianne?” Ladybug switched topics, letting her legs stretch out in front of her and leaning back. 

“The woman who got akumatized into Backwarder?” He checked. She nodded. 

“Master Fu’s sweetheart.” She smiled. “She picked him up at the station today. He was head over heels the moment he saw her. I guess some part of him remembered her.”

Cat Noir smiled. “That must be hard for her.”

“I think she was mostly happy they could be together again.”

“So a happy ending then?”

“I think so.” He was in good hands at least. 

“Hey Ladybug, now that you’re the guardian…” He hesitated.

Ladybug smiled. “You can ask me anything, you know that.”

“It’s just. Are you going to forget all your memories one day then?”

That wasn’t what she expected. “I hadn’t thought about it but I guess if I name someone else then yeah, I would.” Her heart clenched at the thought. How much would she forget? Would all her memories go away? Or just the ones about being a superhero? The fact that Master Fu hadn’t recognized Marianne at all had her worried. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. You already had so much on your mind. It was stupid I just-” He took a calming breath. “If it happens, I’ll make sure you get what you gave Master Fu. I promise.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Kitty.”

"What are friends for?" 

Friends. It's what she had wanted. Wasn't it? She forces a smile and leans back on his shoulder, drinking in the moment. 

“I’m glad I have you by my side Cat Noir. I couldn’t do this without you.” She breaks the silence. 

“Always.” She could hear the smile in his voice and he rests his head against hers. They fall into a comfortable silence and for the first time all day, she feels like maybe she can face the task ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it until we get our new season which may be a while based on what I hear. I am working on another fic which I will be starting to post soon (which will be updated far more regularly than this one ever was :p) which starts off with the end of season 3 and follows the essence of 'the wall between us' song for the movie.  
This hiatus is gonna be a long one folks! Good thing I have a few more fic ideas brewing to keep me busy. Hope you're all handling it well as well. Take care!


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